UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

—i     I..  ■■  ■    .  '  - 

gchool   of    Library 
Science 


1 


SI  C  M 


THOMAS   R  .    3 K I N N  B R 


THE 

PEEP  OF  DAY; 

o*, 
A    SERIES 

OF 

THE  EARLIEST  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 

THE  INFANT  MIND 
IS   CAPABLE  OF  RECEIVING; 

WITH 

VERSES  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THE  SUBJECTS. 


Truly  the  light  U  sweet,  and  a  pleasant  thing  it  is  for  the  eyes  to  behold  tlie  sun. 
Eagles.  11 : 7. 


BBVI8BD    EDITION 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE 

AMERICAN    TRACT    SOCIETY, 

150   NASSAU-STREET,   NEW   YORK. 


PREFACE. 


There:  are  few  who  have  attempted  by  means  of  books  to 
prepare  the  infant  mind  for  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
who  have  not  experienced  the  want  of  a  suitable  book  by 
way  of  a  first  step. 

It  was  under  a  feeling  of  the  need  of  this  preparation, 
that  the  writer  of  the  following  pages  has  ventured  to' pub- 
lish her  instructions  of  an  infant  class  of  little  children; 
having  been  induced,  in  the  first  instance,  to  write  them 
down  as  soon  as  given,  with  a  view  to  the  governess'  reca- 
pitulating them  during  her  absence  of  some  months. 

The  first  course  of  these  conversations  she  now  offers  to 
the  public,  humbly  hoping  that  it  may  be  found  useful : 

1.  As  affording  hints  to  the  inexperienced  teacher. 

2.  As  a  reward-book  for  children. 

3.  As  an  aid  to  the  young  mother  hi  her  conversations 
with  her  child  of  four  or  five  years  old. 

4.  As  a  book  for  Sunday  reading  for  the  same  child  at 
five  or  six. 

It  may  appear  that  there  are  many  books  of  a  similar 
nature  already  published ;  but  such  as  have  met  the  writer's 
eye,  have  rather  been  commentaries  on  the  Scriptures,  than 
preparations  for  their  perusal. 

It  is  too  common  to  defer  religious  instruction  in  schools, 
till  the  child  can  read  in  the  Testament.  One  quarter  of  an 
hour,  daily,  devoted  to  instruction  by  word  of  mouth,  would 
prepare  the  child  for  comprehending  the  meaning  of  the 
Testament,  when  able  to  read ;  whereas  now  it  has  to  com- 

> 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

bat  at  once  with  the  difficulties  of  reading,  and  the  far  greatei 
difficulties  of  the  subject  it  reads  of. 

Therefore  it  is  not  surprising  that  we  should  often  find 
children  who  have  read  the  Testament  through,  unable  to 
answer  the  simplest  question. 

The  writer  has  ventured,  in  this  edition,  to  add  some 
verses  illustrative  of  each  subject,  in  the  hope  of  pleasing 
the  little  pupils  who  shall  be  instructed  from  the  book ;  and 
not  with  a  view  of  imposing  the  verses  as  a  task  to  he 
learned  by  heart. 


THE 


AUTHOR'S  APOLOGY 


When  a  new  work,  however  insignificant,  appears,  it 
is  natural  to  inquire  why  it  was  written ;  and  it  is 
natural  for  the  writer  to  desire  to  prove  that  there  was 
a  sufficient  cause.  The  present  work  attempts  to  im- 
part religious  instruction  to  the  infant  whose  faculties 
are  just  opening.  But  some  may  reply,  "Is  not  the 
attempt  premature  ?  Is  an  infant  capable  of  under- 
standing sacred  truths?  Or,  if  capable,  is  it  desirable 
that  it  should  be  taught?" 

Upon  trial,  it  will  be  found  that  children  can  under- 
stand religious  truths  at  a  very  early  age ;  although  the 
exact  period  is  of  course  very  different  in  different  indi- 
viduals. The  sophistries  which  sinful  inclinations  sug- 
gest to  the  mind  as  life  advances,  do  not  obscure  the 
infant  intellect.  The  child  easily  perceives  that  there 
must  be  a  God,  and  acknowledges  his  power  to  be  great ) 
the  only  objections  it  raises  to  any  doctrine  are  such,  in 
general,  as  have  never  been  solved  by  man,  while  the 
child  finds  no  difficulty  in  believing  that  God's  under- 
standing is  infinitely  greater  than  its  own. 


6  AUTHOR'S  APOLOGY. 

And  will  it  be  deemed  undesirable  to  instruct  the 
infant  in  religion,  when  it  is  remenibered  that  impres- 
sions made  early  on  the  mind  are  the  most  vivid  and 
the  most  durable ;  that  the  readiest  access  is  obtained 
to  the  young  and  tender  heart ;  that  wrong  notions  will 
be  conceived  by  the  ever  busy  intellect,  if  left  unin- 
strueted ;  and  that  life  being  uncertain,  the  eternal  hap- 
piness of  a  child,  already  knowing  good  from  evil,  may 
be  endangered  by  delay  ? 

If  these  arguments  be  admitted,  the  next  question 
will  regard  the  means  of  imparting  religious  instruction 
to  young  children. 

Shall  they  learn  simple  and  short  catechisms  ?  Shall 
the  Scriptures  be  read  to  them  with  explanation;  or 
shall  a  few  general  truths  be  briefly  stated  to  them  ? 

Our  minds  are  so  much  darkened  by  sin,  that  when 
we  woald  ascertain  our  duty  concerning  spiritual  things, 
we  shall  often  find  assistance  by  examining  what  we 
should  do  in  an  earthly  matter  of  an  analogous  kind. 
St.  Paul  declares  this  to  be  his  motive  for  using  the 
illustration  recorded  in  Romans  6:19:  "I  speak  after 
the  manner  of  men,  because  of  the  infirmity  of  your 
flesh."  < 

Suppose,  then,  a  father  compelled  to  leave  his  wife 
and  child,  and  to  sojourn  in  a  distant  land.  In  parting 
he  commits  the  unconscious  infant  to  the  care  of  the 
mother,  and  thus  expresses  the  feelings  of  a  father'? 


AUTHOR'S  APOLOGf.  7 

heart :  "  I  know  not  when  I  shall  return ;  the  time  may 
D8  near  or  far  distant.  This  is  my  earnest  request,  that 
whenever  I  do,  I  may  find  my  child  acquainted  with 
my  love  for  it,  and  prepared  to  love  me.  Inspire  it,  if 
possible,  with  a  desire  to  please  me,  and  mould  its  char- 
acter in  conformity  to  my  views.  To  the  ingenuity  of 
your  affection  I  confide  the  task." 

How  would  the  mother  betake  herself,  in  pursuance 
of  this  request?  Would  she  take  the  letters  of  the 
father,  written  to  herself,  and  read  them  to  the  child 
while  yet  its  faculties  were  hardly  unfolded  ?  Would 
she  not  fear  by  this  method  producing  weariness  and 
disgust  ?  Much  less  would  she  attempt  by  a  series  of 
written  questions  and  answers,  to  be  learned  by  heart 
as  a  task,  to  interest  the  child  in  its  father.  Nor  would 
she  content  herself  by  giving  a  general  description  of 
his  goodness. 


the  child  of  its  father  in  language  suited  to  its  capacity ; 
relate  anecdotes  of  his  virtue,  such  as  the  child  could 
comprehend;  repeat  the  wise  and  good  sayings  he  had 
uttered,  yet  translating  them  into  language  intelligible 
to  the  child  ?  How  carefully  would  she  guard  against 
producing  confusion  by  entering  into  complicated  de- 
tails, while  she  would  love  to  dwell  upon  the  most 
minute  incidents  that  would  arrest  infantine  attention. 
She  would  fear  the  consequences  of  giving  set  lectures — 
but  would  intersperse  narrative  with  conversation,  care- 
fully watching  favorable  opportunities  for  dropping  a 


8  AUTHOR'S  APOLOGY. 

reflection.  Verses  in  the  father's  praise  would  he  fa- 
miliar to  the  babe's  lips;  yet  even  these  would  be 
taught  with  discretion,  and  not  forcibly  imposed.  To 
infuse  a  principle  of  love  would  be  the  mother's  aim, 
and  she  would  strive  to  prepare  the  child  for  the  per- 
formance of  filial  duties,  chiefly  by  the  strengthening  of 
this  principle. 

And  has  not  Christ  left  his  infant  family  with  us? 
Has  he  not  given  us  a  charge  concerning  them  in  the 
well-known  words,  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not ;  for  of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  God?"  Mark  10:14.  Touching  and  compre- 
hensive words  !  charge  too  imperfectly  fulfilled  !  How 
often  have  efforts  been  made  to  bring  these  children  to 
their  Father's  bosom,  that  have  in  fact  driven  them 
further  from  it ! 

Yet  there  are  many  mothers  at  the  present  time  who 
are  seeking  to  bring  their  children  to  Christ;  and  to 
them,  as  well  as  to  the  teachers  of  the  infant  poor,  this 
little  volume  is  presented. 

But  lest  a  fear  should  arise,  that  in  adapting  sacred 
truths  to  infantine  capacities,  their  awful  dignity  may 
be  lowered,  let  us  remember,  that  the  reverence  God 
demands  is  principally  that  of  the  heart ;  and  that  words 
which  excite  reverence  in  the  child's  heart,  should  not 
be  condemned  because  they  may  offend'  the  ear  of  the 
bystander.  The  use  of  language  in  the  communication 
of  sacred  truths,  involves  vast  condescension  on  the  part 


AUTHOR'S  APOLOGY.  9 

ol  God  towards  man.  Had  he  not  chosen  to  use  this 
condescension  towards  us,  and  even  to  speak  as  though 
he  had  passions  and  bodily  parts,  he  must  ever  have 
remained  to  us  "  an  unknown  God."  Compared  to  this 
condescension,  how  slight  is  any  that  can  be  used  by  us 
in  instructing  children ! 

And  did  our  Shepherd  bid  us  feed  his  lambs? 
Behold,  I  have  prepared  the  tenderest  grass 
That  grows  on  Zion's  hill.     Here  feeble  lambs 
May  find  sweet  nourishment,  and  gather  strength 
To  climb  the  verdant  heights,  where  the  fair  flock 
On  richer  pasture  feed.     Say  not  too  soon 
I  urge  their  tottering  steps.     Should  I  forbear, 
On  every  side  deceitful  strangers  stand, 
And  beckon  them  away,  in  flowery  paths 
Awhile  to  sport ;  and  then  to  wander  long 
Amidst  the  hills  of  darkness  and  of  death, 
"Where  hungry  beasts,  in  every  thicket  hid, 
"Wait  to  devour ;  and  should  they  e'er  return, 
With  fleeces  all  defiled  and  bleeding  feet 
The  wanderers  would  come.     Oh,  can  they  know 
Too  soon  their  Shepherd's  voice,  or  love  his  name 
Too  soon,  or  in  his  gentle  arms  repose  ? 
Then  come,  my  little  ones,  and  hear  me  tell 
Of  Jesus'  dying  love.     If  Grod  shall  pour 
His  Spirit  from  on  high,  your  infant  hearts 
Shall  thrill  with  tenderness ;  you  '11  run  to  meet 
Your  Shepherd's  fond  embrace :  who  shall  forbid  ? 
!Tis  Jesus  bids  you  come,  and  calls  you  his ; 
And  who  shall  pluck  you  from  that  pierced  side  ? 
'Tis  Jesus'  arms  encircle  you  around ; 
In  sight  of  all  your  foes,  they  '11  bear  you  safe 
O'er  many  a  rugged  path  and  dangerous  steep, 
To  the  sweet  fold  on  Zion's  summit  fair. 


10  AUTHOR'S  APOLOGY. 

And  have  you  lodged  your  darling  in  those  arms, 
Fond  mother  ?     Did  you,  as  his  reason  dawned, 
And  he  began  to  muse  on  things  unseen, 
Unfoid  the  history  of  a  Saviour's  love, 
And  painful  death  ?     And  has  that  love  won  his  ? 
0  then,  should  death's  dark  cloud  arise, 
And  from  your  sight  conceal  his  cherub  form, 
How  sweet  'twill  be  to  catch  his  parting  smile — 
To  see  the  infant  angel,  as  he  soars, 
Cling  fondly  round  his  own  beloved  Lord ! 


CONTENTS. 


LESSON  PAGE 

1.  Of  the  boay, .  13 

2.  Of  a  mother's  care, 17 

3.  Of  a  father's  care, 21 

4.  Of  the  soul, 26 

5.  Of  the  good  angels,          ......  30 

6.  Of  the  wicked  angels,           .         .         .         .         .  33 

7.  The  world,  Part  I., 38 

8.  The  world,  Part  II., 41 

9.  The  world,  Part  IIL, 44 

10.  Adam  and  Eve,           .         ...         .         .         .  49 

11.  The  first  sin, 51 

12.  The  Son  of  God, 54 

13.  The  Virgin  Mary, 58 

14.  The  birth  of  Jesus, 61 

15.  The  shepherds, 63 

16.  The  wise  men, 65 

17.  King  Herod, 68 

18.  The  temptation, 71 

19.  The  twelve  disciples, 76 

20.  The  first  miracle, 80 

21.  Several  miracles, 82 

22.  The  sinner  and  Simon, 85 

23.  The  storm  at  sea, 89 

24.  Jairus'  daughter,          .         .         .         .         .         .  91 

25.  The  loaves  and  fishes, 94 

26.  The  kindness  of  Jesus, 99 

27.  The  Lord's  prayer, 101 


12  CONTENTS. 

28.  Jesus  foretells  his  death, 104 

29.  Lazarus, 108 

30.  Jesus  enters  Jerusalem, 113 

31.  The  temple, 117 

32.  Judas, 119 

S3.  The  last  supper,  Part  I., 123 

34.  The  last  supper,  Part  II., 127 

35.  The  last  supper,  Part  III., 130 

36.  The  garden, 133 

37.  Peter's  denial, 138 

38.  Pontius  Pilate,    .         .      * 142 

39.  Judas'  death, 147 

40.  The  cross,  Part  I., .149 

41.  The  cross,  Part  II., 152 

42.  The  cross,  Part  III., 155 

43.  The  soldiers, 157 

44.  The  grave, 159 

45.  The  resurrection,     .         .         .         .         •         .         .162 

46.  Mary  Magdalene, 165 

47.  The  two  friends  going  to  Emmaus,  .         .         .109 

48.  Thomas, 174 

49.  The  dinner, 177 

50.  The  ascension, 183 

51.  Peter  in  prison, 186 

52.  John, 193 

53.  The  judgment-day, 198 


THE 

PEEP    OF    DAY 


LESSON  I. 

OF   THE-  BODY. 

My  dear  little  Children — You  have  seen 
the  sun  in  the  sky.  Who  put  the  sun  in  the 
sky  ?     God. 

Can  you  reach  up  so  high  ?     No. 

Who  holds  up  the  sun,  that  it  does  not  fall? 
It  is  God. 

God  lives  in  heaven ;  heaven  is  much  high- 
er than  the  sun. 

Can  you  see  God  ?     No. 

Yet  he  can  see  you,  for  God  sees  every 
thing. 

God  made  every  thing  at  first,  and  God 
takes  care  of  every  thing.  God  made  the  sun, 
and  God  makes  it  shine  every  day.  God  made 
the  rain.  God  pours  it  down.  God  made  the 
wind,  and  he  makes  it  blow.  God  made  you, 
my  little  child,  and  God  keeps  you  alive. 

You  have  a  little  body:  from  your  head 
down  to  your  feet,  I  call  your  body. 


14  THE  FEEP  OF  DAY 

Youi  little  body  is  alive.  Are  all  things 
alive  ?     No. 

The  stones  are  not  alive.  But  you  are  not 
like  the  stones.  Feel  the  stones.  How  cold 
they  are.  Your  little  body  is  warm.  Who 
makes  it  warm  ?     God. 

Though  God  lives  in  heaven,  he  looks  down 
from  heaven,  and  keeps  you  alive. 

Put  your  hand  before  your  mouth.  "What 
do  you  feel  coming  out  of  your  mouth?  It 
is  your  breath.  You  breathe  every  moment. 
When  you  are  asleep  you  breathe.  You  cannot 
help  breathing.     But  who  gives  you  breath  ? 

God  does  every  thing.  God  gave  you  this 
little  body,  and  he  makes  it  live  and  move  and 
breathe.  There  are  bones  in  your  body.  God 
has  made  them  strong  and  hard.  There  are 
some  bones  for  your  arms,  and  some  bones  for 
your  legs.  There  is  a  bone  for  your  back,  and 
more  bones  for  your  sides. 

God  has  covered  your  bones  with  flesh. 
Your  flesh  is  soft  and  warm. 

In  your  flesh  there  is  blood.  God  has  put 
skin  outside,  and  it  covers  your  flesh  and  blood 
like  a  coat. 

Now,  all  these  things,  the  bones  and  flesh 


THE  BODY.  15 

and  blood  and  skin,  are  called  your  body. 
How  kind  it  was  in  God  to  give  you  a  body. 
I  hope  that  your  body  will  not  get  hurt. 

"Will  your  bones  break  ?  Yes,  they  would, 
if  you  were  to  fall  down  from  a  high  place,  or 
if  a  cart  were  to  go  over  them. 

If  you  were  to  be  very  sick,  your  flesh  would 
waste  away,  and  you  would  have  scarcely  any 
thing  left  but  skin  and  bones. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  child  who  had  been  sick 
a  very  long  while  ?  I  have  seen  a  sick  babe. 
It  had  not  round  cheeks  like  yours,  and  a  fat 
arm  like  yours.  Its  flesh  was  almost  gone, 
and  its  little  bones  were  only  covered  with 
skin.     God  has  kept  you  strong  and  well. 

How  easy  it  would  be  to  hurt  your  poor 
little  body. 

If  it  were  to  fall  into  the  fire,  it  would  be 
burned  up.  If  hot  water  were  to  fall  upon  it, 
it  would  be  scalded.  If  it  were  to  fall  into 
deep  water,  and  not  be  taken  out  very  soon,  it 
would  be  drowned.  If  a  great  knife  were  run 
through  your  body,  the  blood  would  come  out. 
If  a  great  box  were  to  fall  on  your  head,  your 
head  would  be  crushed.  If  you  were  to  fall 
oy y  <*f  the  window,  your  neck  would  be  broken. 


16  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

If  you  were  not  to  eat  any  food  for  a  few  days, 
your  little  body  would  be  very  sick,  your  breath 
would  stop,  and  you  would  grow  cold,  and  you 
would  soon  be  dead. 

You  see  that  you  have  a  very  weak  little 
body. 

Can  you  keep  your  own  body  from  being 
sick,  and  from  getting  hurt  ? 

You  should  try  not  to  hurt  yourself,  but  God 
only  can  keep  your  body  from  all  harm,  from 
fire  and  water,  from  wounds  and  bruises,  and 
all  kinds  of  sickness.  Kneel  down  and  say  to 
Grod,  "Pray  keep  my  poor  little  body  from 
getting  hurt."  Grod  will  hear  you,  and  go  on 
taking  care  of  you. 

My  little  body's  formed  by  God; 
'Tis  made  of  living  flesh  and  blood : 
The  slender  bones  are  placed  within, 
And  over  all  is  laid  the  skin. 

My  little  body's  veiy  weak: 
A  fall  or  blow  my  bones  might  break ; 
The  water  soon  might  stop  my  breath ; 
The  fire  might  close  my  eyes  in  death. 

But  God  can  keep  me  by  his  care ; 
To  him  I'll  say  this  little  prayer : 
"  0  God,  from  harm  my  body  keep, 
Both  when  I  wake,  and  when  I  sleep." 


A  MOTHER'S  CARE.  17 

LESSON   II. 

OF  A  MOTHER'S   CARE. 

I  have  told  you,  my  darling,  about  your 
little  body.  "Was  your  body  always  as  big  as 
it  is  now  ?  No.  Once  it  was  very  small  in- 
deed. 

What  were  you  called  when  your  body  was 
very  small  ?     A  baby. 

Now  you  can  take  a  little  care  of  yourself, 
but  then  you  could  take  no  care  at  all.  Can 
babies  walk,  or  talk,  or  feed  themselves,  or 
dress  themselves  ?     No. 

But  God  gave  you  to  one  who  took  great 
care  of  you  when  you  were  a  baby. 

Who  was  it  ? 

Your  dear  mother,  she  took  care  of  you 
then.  She  nursed  you  in  her  arms,  and  fed 
you,  and  took  you  out  in  the  air,  and  washed 
you,  and  dressed  you.  Do  you  love  your 
mother  ?     Yes. 

I  know  you  do.  But  who  gave  you  a 
mother  ?  It  was  God  who  gave  you  a  kind 
mother. 

A  little  while  ago  there  was  no  such  little 


18  THE   PEEP  OF   DA\ 

creature  as  you.  Then  God  made  your  little 
body,  and  he  gave  you  to  your  mother,  who 
loved  you.  It  was  God  who  made  your  moth- 
er love  you  so  much,  and  made  her  so  kind  to 
you. 

Your  kind  mother  dressed  your  poor  little 
body  in  neat  clothes,  and  laid  you  in  a  cradle. 
When  you  cried,  she  gave  you  food,  and  hush- 
ed you  to  sleep  in  her  arms.  She  showed  you 
pretty  things  to  make  you  smile.  She  held 
you  up,  and  showed  you  how  to  move  your 
feet.  She  taught  you  to  speak,  and  she  often 
kissed  you,  and  called  you  sweet  names. 

Is  your  mother  kind  to  you  still?  Yes, 
she  is. 

Your  mother  has  sent  you  to  your  nice 
school,  and  gives  you  supper  when  you  go 
home.  I  know  she  will  be  kind  to  you  as 
long  as  she  lives. 

But  remember  who  gave  you  this  mother. 
God  sent  you  to  a  dear  mother,  instead  of  put- 
ting you  in  the  fields,  where  no  one  would 
have  seen  you,  or  taken  care  of  you. 

Can  your  mother  keep  you  alive  ?     No. 

She  can  feed  you,  but  she  cannot  make  your 
breath  go  on. 


A  MOTHER'S  CARE.  19 

God  thinks  of  you  every  moment.     If  he 
were  to  forget  you,  your  breath  would  stop. 

Do  you  ever  thank  your  mother  for  her 
kindness  ?  Yes.  You  often  say,  "  Thank 
you;"  and  sometimes  you  put  your  arms  round 
her  neck,  and  say,  "  I  do  love  you  so  much, 
dear  mother  !"  Will  you  not  thank  God  who 
gave  you  a  mother,  and  keeps  you  alive  ?  You 
should  kneel  down  when  you  speak  to  God ; 
then  you  should  say,  "  0  God,  how  good  you 
have  been  to  me.  I  thank  you,  and  love  you." 
Would  God  hear  your  little  thanks  ?  Yes, 
God  would  hear,  and  be  pleased. 

Who  fed  me  from  her  gentle  breast, 
And  hushed  me  in  her  arms  to  rest, 
And  on  my  cheek  sweet  kisses  pressed  ? 

My  mother. 
When  sleep  forsook  my  open  eye, 
Who  was  it  sung  sweet  hushaby, 
And  rocked  me,  that  I  should  not  cry  ? 

My  mother. 
Who  sat  and  watched  my  infant  head, 
When  sleeping  on  my  cradle  bed, 
And  tears  of  sweet  affection  shed  ? 

My  mother. 
When  pain  and  sickness  made  me  cry, 
Who  gazed  upon  my  heavy  eye, 
And  wept  for  fear  that  I  should  die  ? 

My  mother. 


THE   PEEP  OF  HAY. 

Who  ran  to  help  me  when  I  fell. 
And  would  some  pretty  story  tell, 
Or  kiss  the  place  to  make  it  well  ? 

My  mother. 

Who  taught  my  infant  lips  to  pray, 
And  love  God's  holy  book  and  day, 
And  walk  in  wisdom's  pleasant  way? 

My  mother 

And  can  I  ever  cease  to  be, 
Affectionate  and  kind  to  thee, 
'Who  wast  so  very  kind  to  me, 

My  mother? 

Ah  no,  the  thought  I  cannot  bear  ; 
And  if  God  please  my  life  to  spare, 
I  hope  I  shall  reward  thy  care, 

My  mother. 

When  thou  art  feeble,  old,  and  gray, 
My  healthy  arm  shall  be  thy  stay, 
And  I  will  soothe  thy  pains  away, 

My  mother. 

And  when  I  see  thee  hang  thy  head, 
'Twill  be  my  turn  to  watch  thy  bed, 
And  tears  of  sweet  affection  shed, 

My  mother. 

For  God  who  lives  above  the  skies, 
Would  look  with  vengeance  in  his  eyes, 
If  I  should  ever  dare  despise 

My  mothei . 

Mrs.  Gilbert. 


A  FATHER'S   CARE.  21 

LESSON   III. 

OF  A  FATHER'S   CARE. 

"Who  is  it  that  dresses  you,  and  feeds  you? 
Your  dear  mother. 

But  how  does  your  mother  get  money  to 
buy  the  clothes  and  the  food  ?  Father  brings 
it  home. 

How  does  your  father  get  money  ?  He 
works  in  the  field. 

Your  father  works  all  day  long,  and  he  gets 
money  and  brings  it  home  to  mother.  He  says 
to  your  mother,  "  Buy  some  bread  with  this 
money,  and  give  some  of  it  to  the  children." 
"Will  your  father  give  his  money  to  buy  bread 
for  you  ?  That  is  very  kind  in  him.  Do  you 
love  your  father  ? 

How  hard  your  poor  father  works  in  the 
fields. 

"What  is  your  father,  little  Ann  ?  He  is  a 
thresher. 

Your  father  then  works  hard  on  the  farm. 
In  the  summer  he  takes  his  scythe  to  mow  the 
grass,  and  as  he  mows,  he  bends  his  back  till 
it  aches.     In  harvest-time  he  takes  his  sickle 


22  THE  PEEP  OF   DAY. 

and  reaps,  while  the  hot  sun  beats  upon  hit 
poor  head.  Afterwards  he  threshes  the  grain 
with  all  his  strength.  In  the  cold  weather  he 
works  hard,  sometimes  while  the  cold  rain  and 
sleet  beat  upon  his  face.  Why  does  he  bear 
all  this  ?  That  you  may  have  plenty  of  food, 
and  be  fat  and  rosy.  "While  he  is  working,  he 
often  thinks  of  you,  and  hopes  that  he  shall 
find  you  a  good  child  when  he  comes  home. 
You  are  glad  to  see  him,  I  know.  Sometimes 
you  run  to  meet  him,  you  set  a  chair  by  the 
fire,  and  then  you  climb  upon  his  knee.  Some- 
times he  is  too  much  tired  to  speak  to  you. 
Then  you  wait  till  he  has  had  his  supper. 

What  is  your  father,  Mary  ?     A  shepherd. 

Your  father  watches  the  sheep  all  day  long. 
Sometimes  he  gets  up  in  the  night  to  look  after 
the  young  lambs,  and  the  sick  sheep.  What 
a  kind  father  Grod  has  given  you. 

Who  made  your  father  love  you  at  first  ?  It 
was  God. 

Your  father  loves  you  so  much  that  he  gives 
you  all  you  want.  He  has  a  little  cottage, 
and  he  pays  some  of  his  money  for  it,  but  he 
allows  you  to  live  in  it  with  him.  He  lets 
you  sit  upon  one  of  his  chairs,  or  upon  a  little 


A  FATHER'S   CARE.  23 

stool  by  his  nice  warm  fire  ;  and  he  gives  you 
some  of  his  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper 

If  your  father  were  to  die,  what  should  you 
do  ?     You  would  then  be  a  fatherless  child. 

Could  your  father  die  ?  0  yes  ;  many  little 
children  have  no  father.  I  have  heard  of  a 
little  child  whose  father  fell  down  from  a  high 
ladder,  and  was  killed.  Another  child's  father 
was  kicked  by  a  horse,  and  died.  Another 
father  was  digging  a  deep  well,  and  his  breath 
was  stopped.  Some  children's  fathers  fall  sick, 
and  die. 

Perhaps  your  father  may  die,  but  Grod  can 
keep  him  alive.  You  can  pray  to  Grod  to  keep 
him  alive.  In  the  morning  you  can  say,  "Let 
father  come  home  this  evening  safe." 

But  if  Grod  were  to  let  your  father  die,  you 
would  still  have  one  Father  left.  "Whom  do  I 
mean?  "What  do  you  say  in  your  prayer? 
"  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven." 

Yes,  you  have  a  Father  in  heaven,  besides 
the  father  you  have  at  home,  for  G-od  is  your 
Father.  Can  your  heavenly  Father  die  ?  No, 
never. 

Does  he  love  you  ?     Yes. 

He  loves  you  even  more  than  your  other 


24  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

father  does.  He  is  always  thinking  of  you. 
He  is  always  looking  at  you.  He  gives  you 
part  of  his  things.  He  would  like  to  have  you 
come  and  live  with  him  in  heaven  some  day. 
He  loves  your  father  too.  He  is  the  Father 
of  your  father. 

Let  us  think  of  some  of  the  things  which 
your  heavenly  Father  has  given  to  you.  Let 
us  count  them  over. 

1.  A  father  to  work  for  you. 

2.  A  mother  to  take  care  of  you. 

3.  A  house  to  live  in. 

4.  A  bed  to  sleep  in. 

5.  Fire  to  warm  you. 

6.  Clothes  to  wear. 

7.  Food  to  eat. 

8.  Breath  every  moment. 

LITTLE    ANN'S   FATHER,  WHO    IS    A    LAB0REF     (N 
THE   FIELDS. 

At  early  morn  to  work  he  goes,  . 

Through  wintry  rain  and  sleet : 
In  summer,  when  he  reaps  and  mows, 

He  faints  "beneath  the  heat : 
And  what  he  earns  he  shares  with  me ; 
How  very  thankful  I  should  he  ! 


A  FATHER'S  CARE.  25 

LITTLE   MARY'S  FATHER,  WHO  IS  A  SHEPHERD. 
On  lulls  and  moors  his  day  he  spends 

In  watching  o'er  his  sheep  ] 
His  weak  young  lambs  at  night  he  tends, 

When  I  am  fast  asleep ; 
And  what  he  earns  he  shares  with  me  ) 
How  very  thankful  I  should  he  ! 

LITTLE  SUSAN^S  FATHER,  WHO  IS  A  FISHERMAN 
His  net  he  casts  into  the  sea, 

And  brings  the  fish  to  shore ) 
^Tien  waves  are  high,  I  fear  lest  he 

Should  never  come  back  more  : 
And  what  he  earns  he  shares  with  me , 
How  very  thankful  I  should  be  ! 


26  TAB  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON  IY. 

OF   THE   SOUL. 

Has  God  been  kind  to  dogs  ?  Has  he  given 
them  bodies  ?     Yes. 

Have  they  bones,  and  flesh,  and  blood,  and 
skin  ?     Yes. 

The  dog  has  a  body  as  well  as  you.  Is  the 
dog's  body  like  yours  ?     No. 

How  many  legs  have  you  ?     Two. 

How  many  legs  has  the  dog  ?     Four. 

Have  you  got  arms  ?     Yes,  two. 

Has  the  dog  got  arms  ?  No,  it  has  got  no 
arms  or  hands.  But  the  dog  has  legs  instead. 
Your  skin  is  smooth,  but  the  dog  is  covered 
with  hair. 

Is  the  cat's  body  like  yours  ?  No,  it  is  cov- 
ered with  fur. 

Is  a  chicken's  body  like  yours  ?  How  many 
legs  has  the  chicken  ?     Two. 

And  so  have  you.  But  are  its  legs  like 
yours  ?  No ;  the  chicken  has  very  thin,  dark 
legs,  and  it  has  claws  instead  of  feet. 

Have  you  feathers  on  your  skin  ?  Have  you 
wings  ?  Is  your  mouth  like  a  chicken's  beak  ? 
Has  the  chicken  any  teeth  ?   No,  the  chicken's 


THE   SOTJL.  27 

body  is  not  at  all  like  yours.  Yet  the  chicken 
has  a  body,  for  it  has  flesh,  and  bones,  and 
blood,  and  skin. 

Has  a  fly  a  body?  Yes,  it  has  a  black 
body,  and  six  black  legs,  and  two  wings  like 
glass.     Its  body  is  not  at  all  like  yours. 

"Who  gave  bodies  to  dogs,  horses,  chickens, 
and  flies  ?     Who  keeps  them  alive  ? 

God  thinks  of  them  all  every  moment. 

Can  a  dog  thank  God  ?  ISTo ;  dogs  and 
horses,  sheep  and  cows,  cannot  thank  God. 

"Why  cannot  they  thank  God?  Is  it  be- 
cause they  cannot  talk  ? 

That  is  not  the  reason. 

The  reason  is,  they  cannot  think  of  God. 
They  never  heard  of  God.  They  cannot  un- 
derstand about  God. 

Why  not  ?  Because  they  have  no  souls,  or 
spirits,  like  yours. 

Have  you  a  soul  ?  Yes,  in  your  body  there 
is  a  soul  which  will  never  die.  Your  soul  can 
think  of  God. 

When  God  made  your  body,  he  put  your  soul 
inside.  Are  you  glad  of  that  ?  When  God 
made  the  dogs,  he  put  no  soul  like  yours  inside 
their  bodies,  and  they  cannot  think  of  God. 


28  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Can  I  see  your  soul  ?  No  ;  I  cannot  see  it 
No  one  can  see  it  but  Grod.  He  knows  what 
you  are  thinking  of  now. 

"Which  is  best,  your  soul  or  your  body  ? 
Your  soul  is  a  great  deal  the  best.  Why  is 
your  soul  the  best  ?  Your  body  can  die,  but 
your  soul  cannot  die. 

Shall  I  tell  you  what  your  body  is  made  of  ? 
Of  dust.  Grod  made  the  dust  into  flesh  and 
blood. 

What  is  your  soul  made  of?  Your  soul  or 
spirit  is  made  of  the  breath  of  Grod. 

That  little  dog  will  die  some  day.  Its  body 
will  be  thrown  away.  The  dog  will  be  quite 
gone,  when  its  body  is  dead.  But  when  your 
body  dies,  your  soul  will  be  alive,  and  you 
will  not  be  quite  gone. 

Where  wrould  you  be  put,  if  you  were  dead  ? 
Your  body  would  be  put  in  a  grave  in  the 
ground,  but  your  soul  would  not  be  in  the  grave. 
Even  a  little  baby  has  a  soul  or  a  spirit. 

One  day  as  I  was  walking  in  the  streets,  I  saw 
a  man  carrying  a  little  coffin.  Some  people  were 
walking  behind,  crying.  There  was  a  dead  baby 
in  the  coffin.  Was  the  soul  of  the  baby  in  the 
coffin  ?     No,  its  soul  had  gone  up  to  (rod. 


THE   SOUL.  29 

"Will  you  not  thank  G-od  for  giving  you  a 
spirit  ?  "Will  you  not  ask  him  to  take  your 
spirit  to  live  with  him,  when  your  body  dies  ? 
Say  to  G-od j  "  Pray,  take  my  spirit  to  live  with 
thee  when  my  body  dies  and  turns  into  dust " 

CHILD. 

Tell  me,  mamma,  if  I  must  die, 
One  day,  as  little  "baby  died ; 
And  look  so  very  pale,  and  lie 
Down  in  the  graveyard  by  his  side  ? 

Shall  I  leave  dear  papa  and  you, 
And  never  see  you  any  more  ? 
Tell  me,  mamma;  if  this  is  true ; 
I  did  not  know  it  was  before. 

MAMMA. 

'Tis  true,  my  love,  that  you  must  die, 
The  God  who  made  you  says  you  must : 
And  every  one  of  us  shall  lie, 
Like  the  dear  baby,  in  the  dust. 
These  hands,  and  feet,  and  busy  head, 
Shall  waste  and  crumble  quite  away ; 
But  though  your  body  shall  be  dead, 
There  is  a  part  which  can't  decay. 

Ja>-e  Taylor. 

What  is  that  part  which  can't  decay  ?  It 
is  your  soul. 

Your  body  will  decay :  it  will  turn  to  dust ; 
but  your  soul  will  live  for  ever :  it  will  never 
decav. 


30  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON  V. 

OF  THE   GOOD  ANGELS. 

You  know  that  God  lives  in  heaven.  He 
sits  on  a  great  white  throne.  He  has  no  body, 
for  he  is  a  spirit. 

Does  he  live  in  heaven  alone  ?  No  ;  angels 
stand  around  his  throne. 

What  are  angels  ?     Angels  are  spirits. 

They  are  bright  like  the  sun,  but  they  are 
not  so  bright  as  God,  for  he  is  brighter  than  the 
sun.  The  angels  are  always  looking  at  God, 
and  it  is  God  that  makes  them  shine  so  bright. 

They  sing  sweet  songs  about  God.  They  say, 
"  How  good  God  is,  how  wise,  how  great." 

There  is  no  night  in  heaven,  for  the  angels 
are  never  tired  of  singing,  and  they  never 
wish  to  sleep.  They  are  never  sick,  and  they 
will  never  die. 

They  never  weep ;  there  are  no  tears  upon 
their  cheeks,  but  sweet  smiles,  for  angels  are 
always  happy. 

If  the  angels  were  wicked,  they  would  be 
unhappy.  Wickedness  always  makes  people 
unhappy.  The  angels  aro  quite  good.  They 
love  God  very  much,  and  mind  all  he  says. 


THE    GOOD  ANGELS.  31 

They  can  fly  very  quickly.  God  sends  them 
down  here  to  take  care  of  us.  They  are  very 
strong,  and  can  keep  us  from  harm. 

Should  you  lil#fe  to  have  the  angels  near  you 
at  night?  Do  you  know  this  pretty  verse  of 
a  hymn  ? 

I  lay  my  "body  down  to  sleep, 
Peace  is  the  pillow  for  my  head, 

While  well-appointed  angels  keep 

Their  watchful  stations  round  my  hed. 

You  must  ask  God  to  send  the  angels,  for 
they  never  go  except  when  God  sends  them. 

God  is  their  Father.  They  have  not  two  fa- 
thers, as  you  have.  The  angels  are  the  chil- 
dren of  God,  and  live  in  God's  house  in  heaven. 
When  you  mind  what  your  Father  tells  you, 
then  you  are  like  the  angels  who  mind  God. 

The  angels  love  us  very  much.  They  wish 
us  to  grow  good,  and  to  come  to  live  with 
them  in  heaven.  When  a  child  is  sorry  for  its 
naughtiness,  and  prays  to  God  to  forgive  it, 
the  angels  are  very  much  pleased. 

When  a  little  child  who  loves  God  falls 
sick,  and  is  going  to  die,  God  says  to  the  an- 
gels, "  Go  and  fetch  that  little  child's  soul  up 
to  heaven."     Then  the  angels  fly  down,  the 


32  THE   PEEP  OF   DAY. 

little  darling  shuts  its  eyes,  it  lays  its  head  on 
its  mother's  bosom,  its  breath  stops ;  the  child 
is  dead.  "Where  is  its  soul?  The  angels  are 
carrying  it  up  to  heaven.      • 

How  happy  the  child  is  now.  Its  pain  is 
over ;  God  has  made  it  holy ;  it  is  bright  like  an 
angel.  It  holds  a  harp  in  its  hand,  and  begins 
to  sing  a  sweet  song  of  praise  to  God.  .  Its  little 
body  is  put  into  a  grave,  and  turns  into  dust. 
One  day  God  will  make  its  body  alive  again. 

Dear  children,  will  you  pray  to  God  to  send 
his  angels  to  take  your  souls  when  you  die  ? 

Around  God's  glorious  throne  above,  * 

The  happy  angels  stand , 
And  ever  praise  the  God  they  love, 

And  fly  at  his  command. 

Their  faces,  like  the  sun,  are  bright, 

And  sweetest  smiles  they  wear ; 
They  never  sleep — there  is  no  night, 
0  Nor  need  of  candle  there. 

But  though  the  angels  live  so  high, 

They  love  us  men  below ; 
And  hope  to  see  us  in  the  sky, 

In  garments  white  as  snow. 

And  when  a  dying  infant  lies 

Upon  its  mother's  breast, 
The  angels  watch  it  while  it  dies, 

And  take  its  soul  to  rest 


THE  WICKED   ANGELS.  33 


LESSON   VI 


OP    THE. WICKED   ANGELS. 

When  did  God  begin  to  live  in  heaven? 
God  always  lived  in  heaven. 

Once  there  was  no  such  little  child  as  you, 
but  there  always  was  God. 

Once  there  was  no  sun,  but  there  always 
was  God. 

Once  there  were  no  angels,  but  there  always 
was  God. 

No  one  made  God ;  God  was  the  first  of  all 
things,  and  God  made  every  thing. 

A  very  long  while  ago  God  made  the  angels. 
How  many  angels  did  he  mak  b  ?  No  one  could 
tell  how  many.  There  were  more  than  could 
be  counted.     They  were  all  good  and  happy. 

But  some  of  the  angels  became  wicked. 
They  left  off  loving  God,  and  grew  proud  and 
disobedient. 

Would  God  let  them  stay  in  heaven  after 
they  sinned  ?  No ;  he  cast  them  out,  and  put 
them  in  chains,  and  shut  them  up  in  hell. 

One  of  these  bad  angels  was  called  Satan. 
He  was  the  chief,  or  prince  of  the  bad  angels. 

F«!p  cfDay.  3 


34  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

He  is  called  the  devil.  The  devil  is  very  wick- 
ed, and  hates  God. 

He  can  never  go  back  to  heaven  again,  but 
he  comes  here  where  we  live,  and  other  devils 
came  also 

We  cannot  see  Satan,  because  he  is  a  spirit , 
but  he  is  always  walking  about,  and  trying  to 
make  people  naughty. 

Satan  loves  mischief;  he  does  not  wish  to 
be  good.  It  pleases  Satan  to  see  people  in 
nain  and  in  tears,  but  it  pleases  him  best  to 
see  them  wicked,  because  then  he  thinks  that 
they  will  come  and  live  with  him  in  his  dark 
place.  He  wishes  that  there  should  be  a  great 
many  people  in  hell,  so  he  tries  to  make  us  do 
wicked  things,  and  to  keep  us  from  praying  to 
God. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  very  bad  Satan  is. 
He  is  very  cruel,  for  he  likes  to  give  pain. 
He  is  a  liar,  and  teaches  people  to  tell  lies. 
He  is  proud,  and  wishes  people  to  mind  him 
more  than  God.  He  is  envious,  and  cannot 
boar  to  see  people  happy. 

The  devil  hopes  very  much  that  you  will 
come  and  be  with  him  when  you  die.  He 
knows,  that  if  you  are  bad  like  him,  you  will 


THE    WICKED  ANGELS.  35 

live  with  him.  So  he  tries  to  make  you  like 
himself.  When  you  are  in  a  passion,  you  are 
like  the  devil.  When  you  say,  "  I  don't  care," 
you  are  like  the  devil.  When  you  think  your- 
self good,  you  are  proud  like  the  devil. 

Can  God  keep  you  fro/n  minding  the  devil  ? 
Yes,  he  can ;  for  God  is  a  great  deal  stronger 
than  Satan.  Besides  this,  God  is  always  near 
you,  for  God  is  everywhere.  Now,  Satan  can- 
not be  everywhere  at  the  same  time.  It  is 
true,  that  Satan  has  a  great  many  bad  angels, 
who  go  where  he  tells  them ;  and  that  Satan 
and  his  angels  come  near  you  very  often.  But 
God  is  always  with  you ;  he  is  before  you  and 
behind  you,  and  on  every  side  of  you :  he  is 
about  your  bed  when  you  sleep,  and  about  your 
path  when  you  walk.  Therefore  you  need  not 
be  afraid  of  Satan ;  only  ask  God  to  help  you, 
and  he  will  do  so. 

Satan  is  much  stronger  than  you  are;  but 
God  is  stronger  than  all.  If  any  body  were  to 
come  to  hart  you  when  you  were  alone,  you 
would  be  frightened ;  but  if  you  saw  your  fa- 
ther coming,  you  would  run  to  him,  and  you 
would  not  be  frightened  any  more.  Now,  God 
is  your  Father  ;  he  can  keep  Satan  from  hurt- 


36  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

ing  you.  Pray  to  him,  and  say,  "0,  dear  Fa- 
ther, keep  me  from  being  wicked  like  the 
devil,  and  from  going  to  hell." 

Satan  was  once  an  angel  bright, 
And  worshipped  God  on  high ; 

But  now  he  dwells  in  darkest  night 
And  endless  misery. 

Daring  his  God  to  disobey, 

He  lost  his  happy  state : 
Sinners  above  could  never  stay, 

Around  God's  throne  to  wait. 

Thousands  of  angels  with  him  fell, 
Who  dwned  him  as  their  king  ; 

Hoping  with  us  to  share  their  hell, 
They  tempt  our  souls  to  sin. 

CHILD. 

God,  unto  thee  I'll  lift  my  prayer — 
He'll  hear  an  infant  cry — 

"  Save  me,  0  God,  lest  I  should  share 
In  Satan's  misery." 

VERSES  FOR  VERY  YOUNG  CHILDREN. 

ON   THE    SUBJECT    OF    THE    PRECEDING   LESSONS. 

God  lives  on  high  This  God  can  see 

Beyond  the  sky,  Both  you  and  me ; 

And  angels  bright,  Can  see  at  night, 

All  clothed  in  white,  As  in  the  light : 

The  praises  sing  And  all  we  do, 

Of  heaven's  King.  Remember  too. 


1HE   WICKED   ANGELS, 


H7 


'Tis  lie  bestows 
My  food  and  clothes. 
And  my  soft  bed 
To  rest  my  head, 
And  cottage  neat, 
And  mother  sweet. 


All  liars  dwell 
With  him  in  hell, 
And  many  more 
Who  cursed  and  swor8, 
And  all  who  did 
What  God  forbid. 


And  should  not  I 
For  ever  try 
To  do  what  he 
Has  ordered  me, 
And  dearly  love       < 
This  Friend  above  ? 


And  I  have  not 
Done  what  I  ought : 
I  am  not  fit 
With  God  to  sit, 
And  angels  bright 
All  clothed  in  white 


I  always  should 
Be  very  good : 
At  home,  should  mind 
My  parents  kind ; 
At  school,  obey 
What  teachers  say. 

Now,  if  I  fight, 
And  scratch  and  bite, 
In  passions  fall, 
And  bad  names  caL. 
Full  well  I  know 
Where  I  shall  go. 

Satan  is  glad 
When  I  am  bad, 
And  hopes  that  I 
With  him  shall  lie 
In  fire  and  chains, 
And  dreadful  pains. 


I  will  confess 
My  naughtiness ; 
And  will  entreat 
For  mercy  sweet. 
O  Lord,  forgive, 
And  let  me  live. 

My  body  must 
Be  turned  to  dust ; 
Then  let  me  fly 
Beyond  the  sky, 
And  see  thy  face 
In  that  sweet  place. 


38  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY 


LESSON  VII. 

THE  WORLD— PART   I. 
Genesis  1 : 1-10. 

This  large  place  we  live  in  is  called  the 
world.  It  is  very  beautiful.  If  we  look  up, 
we  see  the  blue  sky ;  if  we  look  down,  we  see 
trie  green  grass.  The  sky  is  like  a  curtain 
spread  over  our  heads,  the  grass  like  a  carpet 
under  our  feet,  and  the  bright  sun  is  like  a 
candle  to  give  us  light.  It  was  very  kind  in 
G-od  to  make  such  a  beautiful  world,  and  to 
let  us  live  in  it. 

God  was  in  heaven,  and  all  his  bright  an- 
gels round  him,  when  he  began  to  make  the 
world. 

G-od's  Son  was  with  him,  for  God  always 
had  a  Son  just  like  himself.  His  Son's  name 
is  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  as  good  and  great  as 
God  his  Father.  The  Father  and  the  Son  are 
God :  they  always  lived  together,  and  they 
love  each  other  exceedingly.  The  Father  and 
the  Son  are  one  God,  and  he  made  the  world. 

How  did  God  make  the  world  ?  By  speak- 
ing.    First  of  all,  God  made  the  light.     God 


THE   WORLD.  39 

said,  "Let  there  be  light;  and  there  was  light." 
No  one  can  make  things  by  speaking,  but  God  : 
God  made  things  of  nothing.  He  only  spoke 
and  the  light  came. 

Then  God  made  the  air.  You  cannot  see 
the  air,  but  you  can  feel  it.  The  air  is  every- 
where. You  can  sometimes  hear  the  noise  it 
makes,  for  you  can  hear  the  wind  blow,  and 
the  wind  is  air. 

God  made  the  clouds.  The  clouds  are  full 
of  water,  and  sometimes  the  water  comes 
down,  and  we  call  it  rain. 

God  made  a  large  deep  place  and  filled  it 
with  water.  God  spoke  to  the  water,  and  it 
rushed  into  the  deep  place.  God  called  this 
water  the  sea. 

The  sea  is  very  large,  and  it  is  always  mov- 
ing up  and  down  and  tossing  itself.  "When 
the  wind  blows  hard,  the  sea  makes  a  loud 
noise  and  roars ;  but  it  cannot  get  out  of  the 
large  deep  place  in  which  God  has  put  it ;  for 
God  said,  Stay  there. 

But  God  made  some  dry  land  for  us  to  walk 
upon ;  we  call  it  ground.  We  could  not  walk 
upon  the  sea,  nor  build  houses  on  the  sea ; 
but  the  ground  is  hard,  and  firm,  and  dry. 


40  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Now  I  have  told  you  of  five  things  that 
God  made. 

1.  The  light.  2.  The  air.  3.  The  clouds. 
4.  The  sea.     5.  The  dry  land. 

Let  us  praise  God  for  making  such  a  large 
and  beautiful  world. 

'Twas  God  who  made  this  world  so  fair, 
The  shining  sun,  the  sky,  the  air; 
'Twas  God  who  made  the  sea,  the  ground, 
And  all  the  things  I  see  around. 

When  he  began  the  world  to  make, 
These  were  the  mighty  words  he  spake : 
"  Let  there  be  light :"  his  voice  was  heard. 
And  the  obedient  light  appeared. 

The  angels  saw  the  light  arise, 
And  with  their  praises  filled  the  skies : 
"How  great  our  God;  how  wise,  how  strong  V' 
Such  is  their  never-ending  song. 


THE  WORLD.  4) 


LESSON   VIII. 


THE   WORLD— PART   II. 
Genesis  1:11-19. 

When  God  made  the  dry  land  there  was 
nothing  on  it;  it  was  bare.  So  God  spake, 
and  things  grew  out  of  the  ground. 

Trees  came  up  out  of  it ;  they  were  covered 
with  green  leaves  of  different  shapes.  Some 
were  called  oak-trees,  and  some  were  called 
elm-trees,  and  some  beach-trees.  And  some 
trees  bore  nice  fruit,  such  as  plum-trees,  ap- 
ple-trees, orange-trees,  and  fig-trees. 

Vegetables  grew  out  of  the  earth ;  potatoes 
and  beans,  cabbages  and  lettuce,  they  are 
called  vegetables. 

Corn  came  out  of  it.  Some  corn  is  called 
wheat,  and  some  corn  is  called  barley,  and 
some  is  called  oats,  and  some  is  called  maize, 
or  Indian  corn.  The  ears  of  corn,  when  they 
are  ripe,  look  yellow  like  gold. 

God  made  the  soft  green  grass  to  spring  up, 
and  the  flowers  to  grow  among  the  grass  ;  flo  w- 
ers  of  all  colors,  and  of  sweet  smell :  the  yellow 
buttercup,  the  white  lily,  the  blue  violet,  and 
the  rose,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  flowers.  / 


42  THE   FEET  OF   DAY. 

I  have  told  you  of  five  sorts  of  things  which 
grow  out  of  the  earth. 

1.  Trees.  2.  Vegetables.  3.  Corn.  4.  Grass. 
5.  Flowers. 

The  world  looked  very  beautiful  when  it 
was  covered  with  grass  and  trees.  But  only 
God  and  the  angels  saw  its  beauty. 

Afterwards  God  placed  the  sun  in  the  sky, 
and  bade  it  shine  all  day,  and  go  from  one  end 
of  the  world  to  the  other.  God  made  the 
moon  to  shine  at  night,  and  he  rilled  the  sky 
with  stars. 

You  never  saw  any  thing  so  bright  as  the 
sun.  It  is  very  large  indeed,  only  it  looks 
small,  because  it  is  a  great  way  off.  It  can- 
not fall,  for  God  holds  it  up  God  makes  it 
move  across  the  sky.  Did  you  ever  hear  this 
pretty  verse  about  the  sun  ? 

My  God,  who  makes  the  sun  to  know 

His  proper  hour  to  rise ; 
And  to  give  light  to  all  below, 

Doth  send  him  round  the  skies. 

Dr.  Watts. 

The  moon  does  not  shine  as  brightly  as  the 
sun,  for  God  lets  it  be  dark  at  night,  that  we 
may  rest,  and  sleep  soundly. 


THE  WORLD.  43 

Who  could  count  the  stars?  No  one  but 
God.  He  knows  their  names  and  their  num- 
ber too.  When  we  look  at  the  moon  and  stars, 
let  us  think  "  how  great  Grod  is."  Yet  he  cares 
for  the  little  birds,  and  loves  little  children. 

CHILD. 
I  saw  the  glorious  sun  arise 

O'er  yonder  mountain  gray  j 
And  as  he  travelled  through  the  skies 

The  darkness  went  away, 
And  all  around  me  was  so  bright 

I  wished  it  would  be  always  light. 

But  when  his  shining  course  was  done 

The  gentle  moon  drew  nigh, 
And  stars  came  twinkling,  one  by  one, 

Upon  the  shady  sky. 
Who  made  the  sun  to  shine  so  far, 
The  moon,  and  every  twinkling  star  ? 

MAMMA. 

'Twas  God,  my  child,  who  made  them  all 

By  his  almighty  skill : 
He  keeps  them,  that  they  do  not  fall, 

And  guides  them  as  he  will : 
That  glorious  God,  who  lives  afar 
In  heaven  beyond  the  highest  star. 

Jane  Taylor. 


44  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   IX. 

THE   WORLD  — PART    III. 
Genesis  1 :  20-25. 

■  God  had  made  a  great  many  things;  but 
none  of  these  things  were  alive.  At  last  he 
made  some  living  things.  He  spoke,  and  the 
water  was  filled  with  fishes,  more  than  could 
be  counted. 

Some  were  very  small,  and  some  were  very 
large.  Have  you  heard  of  the  great  whale  ? 
It  is  a  fish  as  long  as  a  church.  Fishes  are 
cold,  and  they  have  no  feet,  and  they  cannot 
sing  nor  speak. 

God  made  some  creatures,  more  beautiful 
than  fish,  to  fly  out  of  the  water.  The  birds  : 
they  perched  upon  the  trees,  and  sang  among 
the  branches. 

Birds  have  wings,  and  are  covered  with 
feathers  of  all  colors.  The  robin  has  a  red 
breast ;  the  goldfinch  has  yellow  feathers,  and 
the  jay  blue  ones  :  but  the  peacock  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  birds.  It  has  a  little  tuft  upon 
its  head,  and  a  long  train  that  sweeps  behind ; 
sometimes  it  spreads  out  its  feathers,  and  they 


THE   WORLD.  45 

look  like  a  large  fan.  The  thrush,  the  black- 
bird, and  the  linnet,  can  sing  sweetly ;  but 
there  is  one  bird  that  can  sing  more  sweetly 
still — it  is  the  nightingale.  At  night,  when 
all  the  other  birds  have  left  off  singing,  the 
nightingale  may  be  heard  in  the  woods. 

Some  birds  swim  upon  the  water ;  such  as 
geese,  and  ducks,  and  the  beautiful  swan  with 
its  long  neck,  and  its  feathers  like  the  snow. 

Some  birds  are  very  tall.  The  ostrich  is  as 
tall  as  a  man.  It  cannot  fly  like  other  birds, 
but  it  can  run  very  fast  indeed. 

The  eagle  builds  its  nest  in  a  very  high 
place.  Its  wings  are  very  strong,  and  it  can 
fly  as  high  as  the  clouds. 

The  gentlest  of  the  birds  is  the  dove.  It 
cannot  sing,  but  it  sits  alone  and  moans  softly, 
as  if  it  were  sad. 

I  cannot  tell  you  the  names  of  all  the  birds, 
but  you  can  think  of  the  names  of  some  other 
kinds. 

There  is  another  sort  of  living  creatures 
called  insects.  God  made  them  come  out  of 
the  earth,  and  not  out  of  the  water,  like  birds 
and  fishes.  Insects  are  small,  and  creep  upon 
the  earth ;  such  as  ants.     Some  insects  can 


4b  THE   PEEP  OF   DAY. 

fly  also ;  such  as  bees  and  butterflies.  The* 
bee  sucks  the  juice  of  flowers,  and  makes  wax 
and  honey.  How  gay  are  the  wings  of  the 
butterfly :  they  are  covered  with  little  feath- 
ers, too  small  for  you  to  see. 
n  All  the  insects  were  good  and  pretty  when 
God  made  them. 

At  last  God  made  the  beasts.  They  came 
out  of  the  earth  when  God  spoke.  Beasts 
walk  upon  the  earth :  most  of  them  have  four 
legs.  You  know  the  names  of  a  great  many 
sorts  of  beasts.  Sheep  and' cows,  dogs  and 
cats,  are  beasts.  But  there  are  many  other 
sorts  besides.  The  squirrel  that  jumps  from 
bough  to  bough,  the  rabbit  that  lives  in  a  hole 
under  ground,  and  the  goat  that  climbs  the 
high  hills ;  the  stag  with  his  beautiful  horns, 
the  lion  with  his  yellow  hair,  the  tiger  whose 
skin  is  marked  with  stripes.  The  elephant 
is  the  largest  of  the  beasts,  the  lion  is  the 
strongest,  the  dog  is  the  most  sensible,  the 
stag  is  the  most  beautiful,  but  the  lamb  is  the 
gentlest.  The  dove  is  the  gentlest  of  the 
birds,  and  the  lamb  is  the  gentlest  of  the 
beasts. 

I\Tow  God  had  filled  the  world  with  living 


THE   WORLD  47 

creatures,  and  they  were  all  good ;  even  lions 
and  tigers  were  good  and  harmless.  I  have 
told  you  of  four  sorts  of  living  creatures. 

1.  Fishes.  2.  Birds.  3.  Insects.  4.  Beasts. 
^Ail  these  creatures  have  bodies,  but  they 
have  not  souls  like  you.  They  can  move  an,d 
breathe.  (rod  feeds  them  every  day,  and  keeps 
them  alive.     The  Lord  is  good  to  them  all. 

When  God  first  clothed  the  earth  with  green, 

And  sprinkled  it  with  flowers, 
There  wrere  no  living  creatures  seen 

Within  its  pleasant  "bowers. 

Soon  by  his  word  God  filled  the  earth, 

And  waters  underneath, 
With  things  above  the  plants  in  worth, 

That  feel,  and  move,  and  breathe. 

The  fishes,  covered  o'er  with  scales, 

In  ocean  swiftly  glide; 
With  their  vast  tails  the  wondrous  whales 

Scatter  the  waters  wide. 


And  chief  the  nightingale ; 
The  peacock  shines  with  painted  wing, 
The  dove  does  softly  wail. 

Insects  with  humming  fill  the  air, 

And  sparkle  in  the  sun  • 
The  butterfly  by  colors  fair 

Surpasses  every  one. 


48  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

The  beasts  tread  firmly  on  the  ground  j 

The  goat  has  nimble  feet ; 
The  stag  's  with  branching  antlers  crowned ; 

The  lamb 's  most  soft  and  sweet. 

Pleasure  the  whole  creation  fills : 
They  leap,  they  swim,  they  fly ; 

They  skim  the  plains,  they  climb  the  hills, 
Or  in  the  valleys  lie. 

With  herbs  for  food  the  Lord  provides 

His  numerous  family ; 
The  lion  with  the  lamb  abides, 

The  dove  and  hawk  agree. 

In  all  the  woods  no  sounds  of  strife, 

Or  piteous  moans  arise ; 
None  takes  away  his  fellow's  life, 

And  none  expiring  lies. 

These  happy  days,  alas,  are  past, 
And  death  has  entered  here : 

Why  did  they  not  for  ever  last ; 
And  when  did  death  appear  ? 


ADAM  AND   EYE.  49 

LESSON   X. 

"ADAM  AND  EVE. 

(jrENESIS  1  :  26,  TO  THE  END  OF   CHAPTER  2. 

*  Now  I  shall  tell  you  of  the  last  thing  G-od 
made. 

Grod  took  some  of  the  dust  of  the  ground 
and  made  the  body  of  a  man ;  then  he  breathed 
on  it,  and  gave  it  a  soul ;  so  the  man  could 
understand  about  Grod.  Adam  was  good  and 
holy  like  God.     Adam  loved  Grod  very  much. 

God  put  him  in  a  very  pretty  garden,  full 
of  trees  covered  with  fruit.  This  garden  was 
called  the  garden  of  Eden.  God  showed  Adam 
all  the  beasts  and  birds,  and  let  Adam  give 
them  what  names  he  pleased.  He  said  to 
Adam,  I  give  you  all  the  fishes,  and  insects, 
and  birds,  and  beasts ;  you  are  their  master. 
So  Adam  was  lord  over  all  things  on  the  earth. 

God  said  to  Adam,  You  may  eat  of  the 
fruit  that  grows  on  the  trees  in  the  garden. 
Still  God  did  not  let  him  be  idle,  but  told  him 
to  take  care  of  the  garden. 

You  see  how  very  kind  Grod  was  to  Adam. 
But  Adam  had  no  friend  to  be  with  him ;  for 
the  beasts  and  birds  could  not  talk  to  Adam. 

Peep  of  Day.  4 


50  THE  FEET  OF  DAY. 

Then  God  said  he  would  make  a  woman  to 
be  a  friend  to  Adam.  So  God  made  Adam  fall 
fast  asleep,  and  while  he  was  asleep,  God  took 
a  piece  of  flesh  out  of  his  side,  and  made  it 
into  a  woman.  When  Adam  woke,  he  saw 
her  He  knew  that  she  was  made  of  his  flesh 
and  bones,  and  he  loved  her  very  much.  Her 
name  was  Eve. 

You  have  heard  of  all  the  things  God  made. 
They  were  all  beautiful;  and  all  the  living 
things  were  quite  happy :  there  was  no  pain, 
and  no  sighing,  and  no  sin  in  all  the  world. 

God  had  been  six  days  in  making  the  world. 
And  when  he  had  finished  U;  he  rested  and 
made  no  more  things.    . 

The  angels  saw  the  world  that  God  had 
made;  they  were  pleased,  and  sang  a  sweet 
song  of  praise  to  God.  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of 
God  was  pleased,  for  he  loved  Adam  and  Eve. 

How  did  I  know  about  the  world  being 
made  ?  It  is  written  in  the  Bible,  which  is 
God's  own  book. 

Let  us  count  over  the  things  that  God  made 

1.  Light.  2.  Air.  3.  Clouds.  4.  Sea.  5 
Dry  land.  6.  Things  that  grow  out  of  the  earth. 
7.  Sun,  moon,  and  stars.     8.  Living  creatures. 


THE   FIRST  SIN.  51 

LESSON   XI. 

THE  FIEST  SIN. 

GrENESIS    3. 

Adam  and  Eve  were  very  happy  in  the  gar- 
den of  Eden.  They  talked  to  each  other,  and 
walked  together,  and  loved  each  other,  and 
they  praised  God  for  all  his  kindness  to  them. 

God  used  to  talk  with  them  sometimes. 
They  were  pleased  to  hear  his  voice,  for  they 
were  not  afraid  of  him. 

There  was  one  thing  that  God  had  told 
them  not  to  do. 

There  was  a  tree  in  the  middle  of  the  gar- 
den ;  it  grew  by  the  side  of  the  river.  Some 
beautiful  fruit  grew  upon  it ;  but  God  said  to 
Adam  and  Eve,  You  must  not  eat  of  the  fruit 
of  that  tree ;  for  if  you  eat  of  it,  you  shall  die. 

Adam  and  Eve  liked  to  obey  God,  and  they 
did  not  wish  to  eat  of  this  fruit. 

The  wicked  angel  Satan  hates  God,  and  hfe 
hated  Adam  and  Eve.  He  wished  to  make 
them  wicked,  that  they  might  go  to  hell,  and 
be  burned  in  his  fire.  So  he  thought  he  would 
ask  them  to  eat  of  that  fruit.  He  went  into 
the  garden  and  looked  like  a  serpent.     He  saw 


Q2  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Eve  alone  near  the  tree.  He  said  to  her,  Why 
do  you  not  eat  of  this  nice  fruit  ? 

Eve  answered,  No,  I  will  not ;  we  must  not 
eat  of  that  fruit :  if  we  do,  God  has  said  we 
shall  die.  Then  the  serpent  said,  You  shall 
not  die ;  that  fruit  will  make  you  wise. 

Eve  looked  at  the  fruit ;  it  seemed  nice  and 
pretty,  and  she  picked  some  and  ate  it ;  and 
she  gave  some  to  Adam,  and  he  ate  it. 

It  was  very  wicked  in  them  to  eat  this  fruit. 
Now  they  became  sinners,  and  did  not  love  God. 

Soon  they  heard  God  speaking  in  the  gar- 
den ;  then  they  were  frightened,  and  they  went 
and  hid  themselves  among  the  trees.  But  God 
saw  them,  for  he  can  see  everywhere. 

And  God  said,  Adam,  where  art  thou  ?  So 
Adam  and  Eve  came  from  under  the  trees. 

God  said  to  Adam,  Have  you  eaten  the  fruit 
that  I  told  you  not  to  eat  ? 

And  Adam  said,  It  was  this  woman  who 
asked  me  to  eat. 

And  God  said  to  Eve,  What  is  this  that  thou 
hast  done  ? 

And  Eve  said,  The  serpent  asked  me  to  eat. 

God  was  angry  with  Satan,  and  said  he 
should  be  punished  for  ever  and  ever. 


THE  FIRST  SIN.  52 

God  said  to  Adam  and  Eve,  You  shall  die. 
I  made  your  bodies  of  dust,  and  they  will  turn 
to  dust  again. 

Grod  would  not  let  them  stay  in  the  sweet 
garden,  but  he  sent  an  angel  with  a  sword  oi 
fire,  and  he  drove  them  out.  And  the  angel 
stood  before  the  gate  with  his  sword,  so  that 
they  could  not  come  again  into  the  garden. 

Near  Eden's  land,  in  days  gone  "by, 

A  lovely  garden  stood : 
The  trees  were  pleasant  to  the  eye ; 

The  fruit  was  good  for  food. 


Two  holy  creatures  spent  their  days 

Within  that  garden  fair ; 
In  love  they  clwelt — they  sang  God's  praise, 

And  humbly  knelt  in  prayer. 

In  that  sweet  land  one  tree  was  placed, 

Their  faithful  love  to  try : 
"  That  fruit,"  God  said,  "  you  shall  not  taste , 

Who  eats  shall  surely  die." 

O  why  did  Eve  to  Satan's  lies 

So  readily  attend  ? 
Jpon  the  fruit  why  fix  her  eyes, 

Then  pluck  it  with  her  hand  ? 

No  more  shall  Eve  or  Adam  stay 

Within  that  garden  fair ; 
An  angel  stands  to  guard  the  way, 

That  none  may  enter  there. 


54  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON  XII. 

THE    SON   OF    GOD. 
Genesis  3 :  14-24. 

Are  you  not  very  sorry  to  hear  that  Adam 
and  Eve  were  turned  out  of  the  garden  ? 

It  was  not  so  pleasant  outside  of  the  garden. 
A  great  many  weeds  and  thistles  grew  outside ; 
but  in  the  garden  there  were  only  pretty  flow- 
ers and  sweet  fruits. 

Adam  was  forced  to  dig  the  ground  till  he 
was  hot  and  tired,  for  he  could  not  always  find 
fruit  upon  the  trees. 

Now,  Adam  felt  pain  in  his  body  sometimes ; 
and  his  hair  became  grey,  and  at  last  he  was 
quite  old. 

Eve  was  often  very  sick  and  weak,  and  tears 
ran  down  her  cheeks.  Poor  Adam  and  Eve ! 
if  you  had  obeyed  Grod,  you  would  have  been 
happy  for  ever. 

Adam  and  Eve  knew  that  they  must  die  at 
last :  Grod  gave  them  some  little  children ; 
and  Adam  and  Eve  knew  that  their  children 
must  die  too.  G-od  had  told  them  that  their 
bodies  were  made  of  dust,  and  that  they  must 
turn  to  dust  again. 


THE   SON  OF  GOD.  55 

But  there  was  something  more  sad  still. 
They  had  become  wicked.  They  did  not  love 
praising  Grod  as  they  once  had  done,  but  they 
liked  doing  many  naughty  things.  They  had 
grown  like  Satan ;  so  Satan  hoped,  that  when 
their  bodies  were  put  into  the  ground,  their 
spirits  would  be  with  him ;  for  Satan  knew 
that  the  wicked  could  not  live  with  Grod  in 
heaven. 

And  they  would  have  gone  to  hell,  and  all 
tieir  children  too,  had  not  Grod  taken  pity  upon 
them.  Grod,  who  is  very  kind,  had  found  out 
away  to  save  them. 

God  had  said  to  his  Son  a  long,  long  while 
before,  Adam  and  Eve  and  all  their  children 
must  go  to  hell  for  their  wickedness,  unless 
you  die  instead  of  them.  My  beloved  Son,  I 
will  send  you ;  you  shall  have  a  body ;  you 
shall  go  and  live  in  the  world,  and  you  shall 
obey  me,  and  you  shall  die  for  Adam  and  his 
childnn. 

The  Son  said  to  his  Father,  I  will  go :  I 
will  do  all  that  you  desire  me  to  do.  It  is 
my  delight  to  obey  you. 

S*  the  Son  promised  that  he  would  die  for 
Adan  and  Eve,  and  for  their  children. 


56  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY 

How  kind  it  was  in  the  Father  to  give  up 
his  dear  Son  whom  he  loved  so  very  much! 
How  kind  it  was  in  the  Son  to  leave  his  throne 
of  light,  his  bright  angels,  and  his  dear  Father, 
and  to  take  a  body  and  to  die ! 

You   know  that  we   are  some   of  Adam's 
children's  children-     It  was  for  us  that  Jesus 
came  to  die.     We  are  wicked,  and  we  should/ 
go  to  hell,  if  Jesus  had  not  promised  to  die  foi 
us.     We  ought  to  love  the  Father  and  the  Soi 
because  they  had  pity  on  us. 

Let  us  praise  Grod,  with  the  angels,  and  saf, 

We  thank  thee,  0  Father,  for  thy  tender 
love,  in  giving  up  thine  only  Son. 

We  thank  thee,  0  Son,  for  thy  tender  lofe, 
in  coming  down  to  bleed  and  die. 

The  Father  waited  a  long  while  befor/  he 
sent  his  Son  down  to  be  a  man. 

All  the  time  the  Son  waited  in  heaveA,  he 
thought  of  What  he  had  promised  to  do/  but 
he  would  not  go  and  be  a  man  till  his  father 
pleased  to  send  him. 

Adam  has  sinned,  and  on  the  ground 
Shall  thorns  and  thistles  grow ; 

His  flesh  shall  turn  to  dust ;  his  soul —  / 
Ah,  whither  shall  it  go  ? 


THE   SON  OP   GOD.  57 

Shall  one  who  dared  to  disobey, 

With  God  for  ever  dwell  ? 
When  angels  sinned,  God  did  not  spare, 

But  cast  them  down  to  hell. 

Yet  long  before  the  world  was  made, 

Our  God  contrived  a  plan, 
By  whieh  the  sinful  soul  to  save, 

And  pardon  guilty  man. 

The  Father  said  his  Son  should  die ; 

The  Son  replied,  "  I  will  : 
A  feeble  body  I  will  take ; 

This  body  men  shall  kill." 

Father,  how  great  thy  love  to  man, 

To  send  thy  Son  from  high  ! 
How  great  thy  love,  0  glorious  Son, 

To  come,  and  bleed,  and  die  ! 


58  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   XIII. 

THE    VIRGIN  MARY. 
Luke  1 :  26-55. 

God  told  Adam  and  Eve,  that  he  would 
send  his  Son  down  some  day  to  die  for  them. 
But  Adam  and  Eve  did  not  love  God ;  for  they 
were  grown  wicked. 

Could  God  make  them  good  ? 

Yes,  he  could ;  for  there  is  a  Holy  Spirit  in 
heaven,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  could  come  into 
them  and  make  them  good. 

You  know,  my  little  children,  we  are  wick- 
ed, but  God  can  make  us  good  with  his  Holy 
Spirit.  If  God  puts  his  Holy  Spirit  in  us,  we 
shall  not  go  to  hell  and  live  with  Satan. 

I  hope  you  will  ask  God  to  give  you  his 
Holy  Spirit.  Say  to  God,  "  0,  give  me  thy 
Holy  Spirit,  to  make  me  good !" 

Adam  had  a  great  many  children  and  grand- 
children, and  they  had  more  children  ;  at  last 
the  world  was  full  of  people — more  people 
than  you  could  count. 

After  Adam  and  Eve  had  been  dead  a  long 
while,  and  when  the  world  was  full  of  people, 


THE  VIRGIN  MARY.  59 

God  said  to  his  Son,  Now  go  down  into  the 
world. 

But  the  Son  must  be  a  little  babe  first — 
every  oody  is  a  little  babe  at  first. 

So  God  chose  to  send  his  Son  to  be  the 
babe  of  a  poor  woman.  This  woman's  name 
was  Mary.  Mary  had  no  children.  She  was 
a  good  woman,  and  loved  God.  God's  Holy 
Spirit  was  in  her,  and  made  her  meek  and 
gentle. 

One  day  an  angel  came  to  her.  "When  Mary 
saw  the  bright  angel,  she  was  frightened ;  but 
the  angel  said,  Fear  not,  Mary,  God  loves 
you.  He  will  give  you  a  babe,  that  shall  be 
the  Son  of  God.  You  shall  call  his  name 
Jesus.  He  will  come  to  save  people  from 
Satan. 

Mary  was  much  surprised  at  what  the  angel 
said.  She  thought  she  was  not  good  enough 
to  have  such  a  babe  as  the  Lord  Jesus. 

"When  the  angel  was  gone  back  to  heaven, 
Mary  sang  a  sweet  song  of  praise  to  God  for 
his  goodness.  Mary  said,  My  soul  praises  God, 
and  my  spirit  is  glad  because  of  my  Saviour. 

Mary  called  her  babe  her  Saviour,  for  she 
knew  that  he  would  save  her  from  hell. 


60  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

I  wonder  not  that  Mary  feared, 
When  Gabriel  to  her  appeared ; 
How  could  she  know  he  came  to  bring 
So  sweet  a  message  from  his  King  ? 

Full  long  the  Son  in  heaven  had  stayed, 
Since  first  the  promise  had  been  made, 
To  shed  his  blood  for  Adam's  sin, 
And  happiness  for  man  to  win. 

But  yet  the  Son  had  ne'er  forgot, 
And  what  he  said  he  changed  not  J 
The  time  was  come  he  should  be  born, 
And  in  this  world  should  live  forlorn. 

Mary  shall  be  thy  mother  dear, 
Who  in  her  arms  the  child  shall  bear ; 
The  angel  came  this  news  to  bring, 
And  Mary  listened  wondering. 

And  shall  the  Lord  a  poor  maid  choose, 
And  all  the  great  and  rich  refuse  ? 
But  God  high  honors  loves  to  place 
On  those  who  humbly  seek  his  face. 


THE   BIRTH  OF  JESUS.  61 

LESSON  XIY. 

THE   BIETH   OF   JESUS. 

LraE  2:1-7. 

Mary  had  a  husband  called  Joseph.  He 
was  a  good  man,  and  very  kind  to  Mary. 

Now,  before  Mary's  babe  was  born,  a  great 
king  said  that  every  body  must  pay  him  some 
money.  So  Mary  and  Joseph  took  some  money, 
and  left  their  house,  and  went  a  great  way  to 
pay  the  money  to  the  king.  At  last  they  came 
to  a  town  called  Bethlehem. 

It  was  night.  Where  could  they  sleep  ? 
They  went  to  an  inn,  and  said,  "  Will  you  let 
us  in?  we  have  come  from  a  great  way  off." 

But  the  master  of  the  inn  said,  "  I  have  no 
room  in  my  inn  for  you." 

What  could  poor  Mary  do  ?  Must  she  sleep 
in  the  street  ?  Mary  said  she  would  sleep  in 
the  stable,  if  the  master  would  let  her. 

So  Mary  and  Joseph  went  into  the  stable. 
There  were  cows  and  asses  in  the  stable. 

While  Mary  was  in  the  stable  the  promised 
babe  was  born.  She  knew  it  was  the  Son  of 
G-od,  though  it  looked  like  other  little  babes. 


02  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

She  wrapped  it  in  some  long  clothes  called 
swaddling  clothes ;  but  she  had  no  cradle  for 
it  to  sleep  in,  and  she  could  not  lay  it  on  the 
ground,  lest  the  beasts  should  tread  upon  it ; 
so  she  put  it  in  the  manger,  and  she  sat  by  it 
to  take  care  of  it: 

How  dearly  Mary  loved  this  sweet  babe ! 

It  had  no  sin  like  other  babes,  but  was 
meek  and  lovely.  Yet  other  babes  have  cra- 
dles and  soft  pillows,  while  Jesus  lay  in  a 
manger. 

I  will  tell  you  a  verse  to  say  to  your  little 
brother,  when  you  rock  his  cradle. 

Soft  and  easy  is  thy  cradle  j 

Coarse  and  hard  thy  Saviour  lay, 

When  his  birthplace  was  a  stable, 
And  his  softest  bed  was  hay. 

Dk.  Watts. 


THE  SHEPHERDS.  63 


LESSON  XY. 

THE   SHEPHERDS. 
Lttke   2:8-20. 

On  the  night  when  Jesus  was  born,  soma 
shepherds  were  sitting  by  their  sheep  in  the 
fields  near  Bethlehem.  Why  did  they  sit  up  at 
night  ?  To  keep  their  sheep  from  the  wolves 
and  lions,  who  prowl  about  at  night.  There 
are  no  wolves  and  lions  where  we  live,  but  near 
Bethlehem  thejre  were  many  wild  beasts. 

These  shepherds  saw  a  great  light.  A 
beautiful  angel  came  from  heaven.  The  poor 
shepherds  were  afraid ;  but  the  angel  said,  Fear 
not ;  I  have  good  news  to  tell  you.  G-od  has 
sent  his  own  Son  from  heaven  to  save  you  from 
hell.  He  is  a  babe  now,  lying  in  a  manger. 
Gro  to  Bethlehem,  and  you  will  find  him. 

The  angel  had  scarcely  done  speaking,  when 
hundreds  of  bright  angels  filled  the  sky,  and 
began  singing  songs  of  praise  to  Grod. 

The  great  Grod  has  sent  his  Son  to  save 
men  :  praise  him  for  his  goodness. 

At  last  the  angels  went  back  to  heaven,  and 
the  shepherds  were  left  alone. 


64  THE  PEEP  OF  DAI. 

Did  they  stay  with  their  sheep  ?  No  ;  they 
said,  Let  us  go  and  see  the  Son  of  God. 

They  ran  to  Bethlehem,  and  went  to  the 
stable  of  the  inn.  There  was  a  babe  lying  in 
the  manger ;  Mary  and  Joseph  were  sitting 
by.  The  shepherds  said,  This  is  the  Soil  of 
God.  Angels  have  spoken  to  us  to-night,  and 
told  us  where  to  find  him. 

All  the  people  in  Bethlehem  were  much' 
surprised  when  the  shepherds  told  them  about 
the  angels  and  the  Son  of  God. 

Blessed  babe  !  what  gloriousTeatures, 

Spotless,  fair,  divinely  bright ! 
Must  he  dwell  with  brutal  creatures  ? 

How  could  angels  bear  the  sight  ? 

Was  there  nothing  but  a  manger 

Sinners  could  to  him  afford, 
To  receive  the  heavenly  stranger  ? 

Did  they  thus  affront  the  Lord  ? 

See  the  kinder  shepherds  round  hirn 

Telling  wonders  from  the  sky  • 
Where  they  sought  him,  there  they  found  him, 

With  his  virgin  mother  by. 

See  the  lovely  babe  a  dressing ; 
Lovely  infant,  how  he  smiled  ! 
•  When  he  wept,  the  mother's  blessing 
Soothed  and  hushed  the  holy  child. 

Dr.  Watts. 


THE  WISE    MEN.  66 

LESSON   XYI. 

THE   WISE   MEN. 
Matthew  2. 

There  were  some  wise  and  rich  men,  who 
lived  a  great  way  from  Bethlehem.  They 
knew  that  God  had  sent  his  Son  to  be  a  babe ; 
but  the  men  did  not  know  where  to  find  him ; 
so  God  put  a  star  in  the  sky,  and  God  said  to 
them,  Go  wThere  the  star  moves. 

So  the  wise  men  left  their  houses,  and  set 
out  on  a  long  journey  :  but  first  they  said,  Let 
us  bring  some  presents  for  the  Son  of  God; 
for  he  is  a  King. 

They  took  some  gold,  and  some  sweet-smell- 
ing stuff  to  burn.  They  looked  at  the  star  as 
they  went.  At  last  it  stopped  over  a  house 
in  Bethlehem.  The  wise  men  were  very  glad 
indeed.  They  longed  to  see  the  Son  of  God. 
They  came  in,  and  there  they  saw  Mary  and 
ner  child  Jesus  ;  they  fell  down,  and  began  to 
praise  him,  and  to  call  him  the  Son  of  God, 
and  the  King. 

They  took  out  their  presents  and  gave 
them  to  him.     Mary  was  poor ;  but  now  she 

Peep  ^f  Bay.  #5 


t>6  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

had  some  money  to  buy  things  for  her  little 
babe. 

Lo,  travellers  enter  Bethlehem's  gate, 
Arrived  from  some  far  distant  land ; 
They  seem  to  be  of  high  estate, 
And  hold  rich  presents  in  their  hand. 

They  swiftly  pass  from  street  to  street, 
Nor  need  they  fear  to  go  astray, 
Nor  need  they  ask  the  men  they  meet, 
To  guide  them  in  their  unknown  way. 

For  see  where  shines  a  beauteous  star  \ 
On  it  they  fix  their  joyful  eyes  : 
That  heavenly  guide  has  led  them  far, 
And  now  it  lightens  Bethlehem's  skies. 

But  lo,  it  stops — its  course  is  done ; 
On  Mary's  roof  it  sheds  a  light : 
Enter ;  there  dwells  God's  blessed  Son — 
Enter ;  enjoy  the  glorious  sight. 

But  where  is  He,  the  Lord  of  all, 

Who  made  the  heavens,  and  earth,  and  seas  ? 

Behold  him  there,  an  infant  small, 

Lying  upon  his  mother's  knees. 

Their  Lord  full  well  the  strangers  know, 
And  humbly  worship  at  his  feet ; 
Joyful  their  golden  treasures  show, 
And  burn  their  precious  spices  sweet. 

O  happy  they  who  knelt  that  day 
Before  the  lovely  infant's  face, 
And  who  believed,  though  clad  in  clay, 
That  he  was  Lord  of  every  place. 


THE   TWELVE   DISCIPLES.  79  Jy| 

They  heard  him  preach  from  hills  and  ships, 

Of  things  to  men  unknown ; 
But  sweeter  words  dropped  from  his  lips 

When  they  were  all  alone. 

For  then  he  would  the  things  explain 

They  could  not  understand, 
That  heavenly  wisdom  they  might  gain^ 

And  teach  it  through  the  land 

CHILD. 

'Tis  true,  I  cannot  here  below 

With  thee,  my  Saviour,  dwell ; 
To  heaven  one  day  I  hope  to  go, 

And  there  to  know  thee  well. 


60  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 


LESSON   XX. 


THE   FIRST  MIRACLE. 
John  2  :  1-11. 

I  told  you  that  some  people  used  to  ask 
Jesus  to  come  into  their  houses.  I  shall  now 
tell  you  of  a  man  who  gave  a  feast,  and  Jesus 
came  to  the  feast;  Mary,  Jesus'  mother,  came, 
and  the  disciples  came.  There  were  a  great 
many  people  besides  at  the  feast. 

There  was  some  wine  for  the  people  to 
drink  ;  but  there  was  so  little,  that  very  soon 
it  was  all  gone. 

Jesus  knew  that  the  wine  was  gone.  Could 
not  Jesus  give  the  people  more  wine  ?  Yes ; 
for  he  made  the  world,  and  all  things  in  it. 

There  were  some  large  stone  jars  in  the 
room.  Jesus  said  to  the  servants,  Fill  the  jars 
with  water :  and  they  filled  them  quite  full. 

Then  Jesus  said,  Dip  in  a  cup,  and  give  it 
to  the  master  to  drink.  The  servants  gave  it 
to  him;  but  Jesus  had  turned  the  water  into 
wine. 

"When  the  master  had  tasted  it,  he  said,  What 
nice  wine  this  is  !  where  did  it  come  from  ? 

The  servants  told  him  how  Jesus  had  told 


THE  FIRST  MIRACLE. 

tliem  to  fill  the  jars  with  water.  Then  all  the 
people  at  the  feast  knew  that  Jesus  had  turned 
the  water  into  wine. 

This  was  the  first  wonder  that  Jesus  did ;  it 
was  called  a  miracle. 

"Why  did  Jesus  do  miracles  ?  To  show  peo- 
ple that  he  was  the  Son  of  Grod. 

The  disciples  now  felt  quite  sure  that  Jesus 
was  the  Son  of  God. 

Once  Jesus  to  a  marriage  went  • 
The  numerous  guests  surround  the  "board, 
When  lo,  they  find  the  wine  is  spent : 
This  Mary  hears,  and  tells  the  Lord. 

Before  the  guests'  astonished  eyes 
Christ  made  his  heavenly  glory  shine ; 
The  thing  desired  he  soon  supplies, 
And  changes  water  into  wine. 

How  ready  does  my  Lord  appear 

Our  fond  desires  to  satisfy ; 

And  all  that  we  can  wish  for  here. 

He  is  well  able  to  supply. 

Both  health  and  ease  he  could  bestow, 

Plenty,  and  every  earthly  joy ; 

And  always  would,  did  he  not  know 

These  would  at  length  our  souls  destroy. 

For  should  he  all  our  wishes  grant, 
We  should  forget  our  heavenly  home ; 
But  when  we  suffer,  then  we  pant 
After  those  brighter  joys  to  come. 

Peep  of  Day.  6 


82  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   XXI. 

SEVERAL  MIRACLES. 
Luke  7 :  11-16. 

After  Jesus  had  turned  the  water  into 
wine,  he  did  a  great  many  wonders.  He  made 
blind  people  see,  and  sick  people  get  well,  and 
dumb  people  speak,  and  lame  people  walk. 

When  Jesus  came  to  a  place,  all  the  sick 
people  crowded  round  him. 

Jesus  did  not  send  them  away  because  they 
disturbed  him,  but  he  cured  them  all. 

This  was  the  way  in  which  he  cured  one 
blind  man.      He  said,   See !      And  the  man- 
could  see  that  moment. 

This  was  the  way  in  which  he  cured  a  man 
who  was  deaf  and  dumb.  Jesus  put  his  fin- 
gers into  his  ears,  and  touched  his  tongue,  and 
looked  up  to  his  Father  in  heaven,  and  said, 
Be  opened.  And  immediately  the  string  of 
his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  could  speak 
plan. 

Once  Jesus  saw  a  poor  sick  man  lying  on  a 
bed,  and  Jesus  said  to  him,  Should  you  like  to 
be  made  well  ?     The  poor  man  said  he  wished 


THE  LOAVES  AND   FISHES.  95 

There  were  a  great  many  people ;  as  many 
as  would  fill  ten  churches — five  thousand 
men,  besides  women  and  little  children. 

How  tired  the  little  children  must  have 
been.  It  was  time  for  them  to  have  their 
supper  and  go  to  bed.  We  shall  hear  how 
Jesus  fed  alMhese  people. 

They  sat  down  on  the  green  grass.  Jesus 
took  the  loaves  and  fishes :  first  he  lifted  up 
his  eyes  to  his  Father,  and  thanked  him  for 
the  food,  and  then  he  took  a  piece  of  bread 
and  gave  it  to  Peter,  and  said,  Feed  all  those 
people  sitting  there ;  and  he  gave  another 
piece  to  John,  and  he  said,  Feed  those  people; 
and  he  gave  a  piece  of  bread  and  fish  to  each 
of  the  disciples,  and  told  each  to  feed  some 
people. 

One  little  piece  of  bread  would  not  be  enough 
for  all  the  children  in  this  room;  but  Jesus 
made  the  bread  enough  for  all  the  people :  a 
piece  of  bread  did  not  get  smaller  because  a 
man  ate  some,  but  was  as  big  as  before.  Every 
one  had  enough,  and  they  threw  down  upon 
the  grass  a  great  many  little  pieces.  But 
Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  Take  some  baskets 
and  pick  up  the  pieces ;  and  they  filled  twelve 


96  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

baskets  full  of  pieces  of  bread.  Then  Jesus 
told  the  people  to  go  home. 

What  a  wonder  Jesus  had  done !  Yet  you 
know  that  he  feeds  you,  my  little  children, 
and  all  the  people  in  the  world. 

How  does  he  feed  you?  He  gives  you 
bread.  * 

Of  what  is  bread  made  ?     Of  flour. 

Of  what  is  flour  made  ?     Of  corn. 

Who  makes  corn?     God  makes  the  corn. 

Of  what  does  he  make  it?  He  makes  it 
grow  out  of  the  ground.  Jesus  is  God,  and 
makes  the  corn  grow ;  so  you  see  that  Jesus 
feeds  you.  If  he  did  not  make  the  corn  grow 
in  the  fields,  we  should  die.  But  he  will  not 
forget  us.  He  even  remembers  the  little  birds. 
They  never  plough,  nor  sow,  nor  reap,  nor  put 
corn  into  barns,  yet  G-od  does  not  let  them 
starve.  The  birds  cry  to  God,  and  he  hears 
them,  and  lets  them  find  food.  Now  God 
loves  us  much  better  than  he  loves  the  little 
birds,  because  we  have  souls ;  so  he  will  hear 
us  when  we  pray  to  him. 

If  your  mother  had  no  bread  in  her  cottage, 
and  if  she  could  get  no  money  to  buy  some, 
yet  God  would  hear  her  if  she  loved  him.    He 


THE   LOAVES  AND  FISHES.  97 

would  not  let  her  starve.  "Will  you  not  ask 
Grod  for  bread  every  day,  and  say,  Grive  me 
this  day  my  daily  bread  ? 

We  ought  to  thank  Grod  for  the  food  we  eat. 
Before  we  eat  breakfast,  or  dinner,  or  supper, 
we  should  say,  I  thank  thee,  0  Lord,  for  this 
nice  food. 

Behold  where,  on  the  green  hills  spread, 

Close  by  the  water-side, 
The  hungry  multitude  are  fed, 

At  peaceful  eventide. 

Upon  the  grass  they  sit  at  ease, 

1^  rows  of  ten  times  ten — 
Women  with  children  on  their  knees, 

Besides  five  thousand  men. 

In  listening  they  have  spent  the  day, 

Their  homes  far  distant  lie : 
They  would  have  fainted  by  the  way 

Without  this  kind  supply. 

The  Lord,  whose  words  they  came  to  hear, 

Has  pity  on  their  need ; 
He  loves  the  weary  heart  to  cheer, 

The  hungry  poor  to  feed. 

He  gives  them  of  his  little  store, 

By  his  disciples'  hands : 
Though  little,  he  can  make  it  more, 

For  all  things  he  commands 

?c:p  of  Day,  7 


98  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

'Tis  he  provides  the  beasts  with  food, 
To  him  the  ravens  cry ; 

He  watches  over  us  for  good, 
And  does  our  need  supply. 

He  once  himself  did  hunger  hear 

For  forty  days,  alone : 
And  still  the  hungry  are  his  care ; 

He  hears  them  when  they  groan. 

CHILD. 

O,  like  my  Lord,  would  I  delight 

In  doing  good  to  all, 
And  serving  them  with  all  my  might 

When  they  for  pity  call. 

Lord,  save  me  from  a  selfish  heart, 
That  nothing  good  can  spare ; 

To  others  may  I  give  a  part, 
And  all  my  comforts  shar 


THE  KINDNESS  OF  JESUS.  99 

LESSON   XXVI. 

THE   KINDNESS  OE  JESUS. 
Matthew  15 :  21-28 ;  Mark  10 :  13-16. 

What  I  have  said  about  Jesus  shows  you 
that  he  was  always  kind.  Once  a  poor  woman 
came  crying  after  Jesus,  saying,  0  Lord,  I 
have  a  little  daughter  who  is  very  sick.  Jesus 
did  not  answer  her  at  first,  and  the  disciples 
wished  her  to  be  sent  away.  She  cried  so 
loud,  they  said  to  Jesus,  Do  send  her  away. 

The  poor  woman  fell  down  at  Jesus'  feet,  and 
said,  Lord,  help  me !  And  Jesus  had  pity  on 
the  woman,  and  said,  I  will  do  what  you  wish. 

The  poor  woman  was  glad  to  hear  this,  and 
she  went  home,  and  found  that  her  daughter 
was  quite  well. 

Another  time,  some  poor  women  brought 
little  children  to  Jesus ;  but  the  disciples  were 
standing  round,  and  would  not  let  the  women 
come  near. 

Go  away,  they  said ;  you  must  not  bring 
children  here  to  trouble  us.  But  Jesus  heard 
them  speak,  and  was  displeased  with  the  dis- 
ciples. 


100  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Jesus  would  not  let  the  children  go  away. 

He  said  to  his  disciples,  Suffer  them  to  come 
to  me ;  do  not  send  them  away. 

Then  he  took  the  children  in  his  arms,  and 
put  his.  hands  upon  them,  and  prayed  to  his 
Father,  and  blessed  them. 

0  happy  little  children,  to  be  taken  into 
Jesus'  arms ! 

Jesus  loves  meek  and  gentle  children.  They 
are  Jesus'  lambs.  Jesus  is  their  Shepherd,  and 
he  will  take  them  to  heaven  when  they  die. 

Young  children  once  to  Jesus  came, 

His  blessing  to  entreat ; 
And  I  may  humbly  do  the  same 

Before  his  mercy-seat. 

For  when  their  feeble  hands  were  spread, 

And  bent  each  infant  knee, 
"Forbid  them  not,"  the  Saviour  said; 

And  so  he  says  for  me. 

If  babes  so  many  years  ago 

His  tender  pity  drew, 
He  surely  will  not  let  me  go 

Without  a  blessing  too. 

Then  while,  this  favor  to  implore, 

My  little  hands  are  spread, 
Do  thou  thy  sacred  blessing  pour, 

Dear  Jesus,  on  my  head. 

Jans  Taylos. 


THE   LORD'S  PRAYER.  101 


LESSON  XXVII. 


THE   LORD'S  PRAYER. 

"When  Jesus  was  in  this  world,  he  loved  to 
think  of  his  Father  in  heaven.  He  liked  to 
be  alone,  that  he  might  pray  to  his  Father  : 
sometimes  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks  while 
he  prayed.  One  night  Jesus  prayed  all  night 
alone  upon  the  top  of  a  high  hill. 

Sometimes  Jesus  prayed  to  his  Father  while 
his  disciples  stood  near  and  listened. 

Once  when  Jesus  had  been  praying  with 
them,  they  said,  Teach  us  to  pray.  Then 
Jesus  taught  them  a  prayer. 

It  was  this :  "  Our  Father  which  art  in 
heaven,  hallowed  be  thy  name :  thy  kingdom 
come :  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And 
forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them 
that  trespass  against  us.  And  lead  us  not  into 
temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil.  For  thine 
is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory, 
for  ever.     Amen." 

I  know,  little  children,  that  you  say  this 
prayer   night    and   morning.      Your  mothers 


t02  THE   PEE?  OF  DAY. 

taught  you  to  say  it.  But  did  you  know  who 
said  it  first  ?  It  was  Jesus  the  Lord ;  so  it  is 
called  the  Lord's  prayer.  It  is  a  very  beauti* 
ful  prayer,  for  Jesus  gave  it  to  us ;  but  it  is 
hard  for  children  to  understand  it. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  "  Hallowed  be  thy 
name  ?"    It  means,  let  God's  name  be  praised. 

Do  you  wish  God  to  be  praised  ? 

"What  are  "  trespasses  ?"  Trespasses  are 
sins. 

Ask  God  to  forgive  you  your  sins  or  your 
trespasses. 

I  hope  that  you  say  more  little  prayers,  that 
you  can  quite  understand. 

"Would  you  not  like  to  have  God's  Holy 
Spirit  to  make  you  good  ?  God  will  send  him 
into  your  heart,  if  you  ask  him. 

God  has  given  you  bread,  and  clothes  for 
your  body.  He  will  give  you  better  things 
than  these. 

What  is  the  best  thing  that  God  can  give 
you?  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  can  make 
your  soul  good.  Say  to  God,  0  give  thy  Holy 
Spirit  to  a  poor  little  sinful  child. 

You  should  pray  to  God  sometimes  when 
you  are  quite  alone.     Jesus  prayed  when  he 


THE  LORD'S  PRAYER.  103 

was  quite  alone.  Many  little  children  have 
prayed  to  God,  who  are  now  in  heaven,  and 
are  good  and  holy.  Some  children,  who  are 
still  in  the  world,  pray  to  him ;  they  are  not 
holy  yet,  but  Grod  is  making  them  better  every 
day,  and  at  last  they  shall  go  to  heaven. 

Our  Father,  seated  in  the  sky, 
Thy  holy  name  be  praised  still ; 
Be  thou  obeyed  as  King  most  high : 
Let  men,  like  angels,  do  thy  will. 

Do  thou  our  daily  oread  supply : 
Forgive  ^ur  sins,  as  we  forgive. 
Yet  help  us  still  from  sin  to  fly : 
Great,  glorious  King,  for  ever  live. 


104  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON  XXVIII. 

JESUS  FORETELLS  HIS  DEATH. 
Matthew  16 :  21,  to  end. 

Jesus  knew  every  thing  that  would  happen, 
and  he  knew  that  he  must  soon  die. 

He  used  to  tell  his  secrets  to  his  disciples ; 
so  he  took  them  in  a  place  by  themselves,  and 
said,  I  soon  shall  leave  you :  the  wicked  people 
will  take  me,  and  bind  me  with  ropes,  and  beat 
me,  and  mock  me,  and  nail  me  on  a  cross ;  but 
remember,  that  I  shall  soon  be  alive  again. 

The  disciples  could  not  bear  to  hear  Jesus 
talk  of  dying,  for  they  loved  him  very  much. 
They  all  looked  very  sad,  and  Peter  said,  You 
shall  not  die.  But  Jesus  said,  I  must  die  to 
save  men  and  to  please  my  Father. 

The  Father  had  given  Jesus  to  die  for  us, 
and  he  would  not  disobey  his  Father. 

Most  of  the  people  who  wished  to  kill  Jesus 
lived  in  a  great  town  called  Jerusalem. 

Jesus  used  to  go  to  Jerusalem  very  often, 
and  he  used  to  preach  there. 

Why  did  some  people  hate  Jesus  ?  Because 
he  told  them  of  their  wickedness. 


JESUS  FORETELLS  HIS  DEATH.  105 

He  used  to  say  to  them,  You  do  not  love 
God,  who  is  my  Father,  but  you  are  proud 
and  vain.  You  wish  to  kill  me.  You  tell  lies. 
You  are  unkind  to  poor  people.  You  pretend 
to  be  good,  but  while  you  are  saying  your 
prayers  you  are  thinking  of  something  else. 
Your  hearts  are  full  of  wickedness.  You  are 
the  children  of  the  devil. 

Jesus  wished  them  to  turn  from  their  wick- 
edness. It  grieved  him  to  see  that  they  hated 
his  Father,  and  that  they  would  not  turn  from 
their  wicked  ways. 

The  wicked  people  were  angry  with  Jesus, 
and  said,  Grod  is  not  your  Father.  But  Jesus 
said,  He  is  my  Father,  and  I  came  down  from 
heaven  where  he  lives,  and  I  shall  go  back  to 
him. 

At  last  the  people  took  up  stones  to  throw 
at  him,  but  Jesus  did  not  choose  to  die  yet,  so 
he  easily  got  away  from  them,  and  they  could 
not  find  him. 

Jesus  then  went  away  from  Jerusalem,  to 
live  with  his  disciples  in  a  place  a  great  way 
off,  till  it  was  time  for  him  to  come  to  Jeru- 
salem again. 


106  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Once  Jesus  with  his  friends  withdrew, 

A  secret  to  impart ; 
And  can  the  mournful  words  be  true  ? 

They  grieve  each  loving  heart. 

And  shall  our  dearest  Lord  be  slain  ? 

The  tender  Peter  cries ; 
And  shall  He  suffer  shame  and  pain, 

Who  rules  o'er  earth  and  skies  ? 

Thus  Peter  would  the  Lord  persuade 

To  live  on  earth  at  ease ; 
But  Jesus  has  a  promise  made, 

And  seeks  his  God  to  please. 

He  came  to  bring  lost  man  relief, 

And  suffer  in  his  place ; 
And  bitter  pain,  and  shame,  and  grief, 

Must  mar  his  lovely  face. 

For  should  he  now  from  suffering  shrink, 

Should  he  refuse  to  die, 
Into  the  pit  our  souls  must  sink, 

In  torments  ever  lie. 


Fond  Peter's  words  he  will  not  hear, 
Who  is  the  sinner's  Friend ; 

Our  sins  upon  the  cross  he'll  bear, 
And  love  us  to  the  end. 

And  even  Peter  must  consent 

To  give  up  all  below ; 
Like  Christ  to  suffer  be  content, 

And  after  him  to  go, 


JESUS  FORETELLS   HIS  DEATH.  107 

CHILD. 

And  shall  I  foolish  y  expect 

Never  to  suffer  ^  ain  ? 
O,  let  me  ever  rect  ilect 

The  blessed  Lord  was  slain. 

If  he,  who  all  his  pains  foreknew. 

So  willing  was  to  die, 
I  feel  I  should  be  patient  too, 

If  I  in  pain  should  lie. 

Full  soon  my  griefs  shall  all  be  past, 

Since  Christ  has  died  for  me. 
And  brightest  joys,  that  ever  last, 

My  happy  soul  shall  see.  . 


108  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSliN   XXIX. 

LAZARUS. 
John  11:1-47. 

Jesus  stayed  with  his  disciples  in  a  place 
by  himself.  The  wicked  people,  who  wanted 
to  kill  him,  could  not  find  him;  but  Jesus' 
friends  knew  where  he  was. 

Jesus  had  more  friends  besides  his  disci- 
ples. 

One  of  his  friends  was  called  Lazarus.  Laz- 
arus had  two  sisters ;  their  names  were  Martha 
and  Mary.  These  three  all  lived  together. 
They  all  three  loved  Jesus,  and  Jesus  loved 
them.  Jesus  used  often  to  come  and  see  them, 
and  sit  in  the  house,  and  talk  to  them.  Mar- 
tha liked  to  make  a  fine  dinner  when  Jesus 
came,  but  Mary  liked  to  sit  and  listen  to  his 
sweet  words. 

At  last  Lazarus  fell  sick. 

Martha  and  Mary  loved  their  brother  Laza- 
rus very  much  indeed.  They  knew  that  Jesus 
could  make  Lazarus  well ;  so  they  sent  a  man 
to  tell  Jesus  that  Lazarus  was  sick. 

The  man  went  a  great  way  to  look  for  Jesus. 


LAZARUS.  109 

Lazarus  grew  worse  and  worse.  At  last  he 
died.  His  friends  wrapped  white  cloths  round 
his  face,  and  his  arms,  and  his  legs,  and  put 
him  in  a  tomb,  and  rolled  a  stone  before  it. 

Martha  and  Mary  waited  and  longed  for 
Jesus  to  come. 

Four  days  passed,  and  at  last  Jesus  came. 
Martha  and  Mary  did  not  think  that  Jesus 
would  make  Lazarus  alive  again,  for  he  had 
been  dead  so  long;  so  they  sat  upon  the 
ground,  and  cried. 

When  Martha  heard  that  Jesus  was  on  the 
road  a  little  way  off,  she  came  to  Jesus  and 
said,  If  you  had  been  here,  my  brother  had 
not  died ;  and  even  now  you  could  make  him 
alive. 

Then  Jesus  said,  Your  brother  shall  rise 
again.  % 

Yes,  said  Martha,  I  know  he  will  rise  again 
at  the  last  day,  when  all  the  dead  people  rise. 

Martha  was  afraid  that  Jesus  would  not 
choose  to  make  Lazarus  alive  soon;  but  she 
knew  that  he  was  able  to  do  it. 

Martha  went  back  to  the  house,  and  found 
Mary  still  sitting  on  the  ground,  and  a  great 
maDy  friends  round  her. 


HO  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Martha  whispered  in  her  ear,  and  told  her 
that  Jesus  wanted  to  speak  to  her.  So  Martha 
and  Mary  went  together  and  found  Jesus  wait- 
ing for  them  on  the  road. 

Mary's  friends  went  with  her,  and  they 
cried :  and  Mary  cried  very  much  indeed ; 
and  when  she  saw  Jesus  she  fell  down  at  his 
feet,  and  said,  Lord,  if  you  had  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died. 

Jesus  was  very  sorry  to  see  her  so  unhappy, 
and  to  see  so  many  people  crying ;  he  felt  sad 
indeed,  and  he  sighed  deeply.  Jesus  does  not 
like  to  see  any  one  in  trouble,  he  is  so  kind. 

Then  Jesus  said,  Where  have  you  put  Laz- 
arus? 

Martha  and  Mary  and  their  friends  said, 
Come  and  see;  and  they  showed  him  the 
way.  | 

As  Jesus  walked  along,  he  wept. 

At  last  they  came  to  the  grave.  It  was  a 
cave,  and  a  very  large  stone  was  before  the 
cave. 

Then  Jesus  said,  Take  away  the  stone. 

Martha  thought  that  Jesus  was  going  to 
look  at  Lazarus  lying  dead;  and  she  said,  Do 
not  go  in ;  his  flesh  is  decayed  by  this  time. 


LAZARUS.  HI 

He  has  been  dead  four  days.  But  Jesus  told 
her  to  believe  that  he  could  make  him  alive. 

Then  they  rolled  away  the  stone. 

Then  Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  his  Father 
in  heaven,  and  thanked  him  for  the  wonderful 
things  Jesus  was  about  to  do. 

A  great  many  people  were  standing  by, 
looking  at  Jesus,  and  wondering  what  he 
would  do. 

Poor  Martha  and  Mary  were  longing  to  see 
Lazarus  alive  again. 

Then  Jesus  spoke  loud  and  said,  Lazarus, 
come  forth ! 

Lazarus  heard,  though  he  was  dead.  The 
dead  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus.  He  got  up  and 
walked  to  the  door  of  the  cave.  His  hands 
were  tied  with  cloths,  and  his  feet  wrapped 
lound  with  cloths,  and  a  cloth  was  over  his 
face. 

But  Jesus  said,  Undo  the  cloths. 

How  pleased  Martha  and  Mary  must  have 
been  to  see  his  face  again !  How  they  must 
have  thanked  the  Lord  Jesus  for  his  kind- 
ness ! 

The  people  who  saw  all  this  were  surprised, 
and  said,  Jesus  must  be  the  Son  of  God. 


112  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Why  flow  the  blessed  Saviour's  tears? 
Is  it  because  the  cross  he  fears — 
Because  he  knows  he  soon  shall  die, 
And  shall  within  the  cold  grave  lie  ? 

He  weeps  to  see  the  sister  weep 
Of  Lazarus,  who  lies  asleep; 
So  tender  is  his  heart,  and  kind, 
That  all  from  him  may  pity  find. 

CHILD. 
When  I  see  others  full  of  fears, 
I  will  remember  Jesus'  tears ; 
And  not  upon  my  pleasure  think, 
While  their  sad  hearts  with  sorrow  sink. 


JESUS  ENTERS  JERUSALEM.  H3 

•     LESSON   XXX. 

JESUS  ENTERS   JERUSALEM. 
Matthew  21 : 1-11,  14-17. 

Which  was  the  greatest  miracle  that  Jesus 
did  ? 

It  was  making  Lazarus  alive  again :  be- 
cause he  had  been  dead  four  days. 

Many  of  the  wicked  people  who  hated  Jesus 
heard  of  it ;  but  they  only  hated  him  the  more. 
They  said,  we  must  kill  him  soon,  or  every 
one  will  believe  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God. 

Jesus  knew  that  they  wanted  to  kill  him, 
and  so  he  went  again  and  hid  himself  in  a 
place  they  did  not  know  of.  They  looked  for 
him,  but  they  could  not  find  him. 

But  could  Jesus  always  stay  in  that  quiet 
place,  where  he  was  hid  with  his  disciples  ? 
No.  He  came  down  to  die  for  us.  He  only 
waited  till  the  time  came  for  him  to  die.  Then 
he  said  to  his  disciples,  "We  must  go  up  to 
Jerusalem,  and  I  shall  be  mocked,  and  beaten, 
and  killed ;  but  I  shall  come  out  of  my  grave 
after  three  days. 

The  disciples  did  not  like  to  hear  this ;  but 

Peep  of  Day.  8 


il4  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

they  chose  to  go  with  Jesus  wherever  he 
went. 

Jesus  walked  fast  along  the  road ;  at  last  he 
came  near  Jerusalem.  Then  he  stopped  and 
said  to  his  disciples,  I  shall  ride  into  Jerusalem 
upon  an  ass.  Jesus  had  no  ass  of  his  own ;  he 
used  to  walk  from  place  to  place.  But  Jesus  could 
put  it  into  a  man's  heart  to  lend  him  one. 

He  said  to  two  of  his  disciples,  Gro  along 
the  road  a  little  way,  and  you  will  see  an  ass, 
and  a  young  ass  tied,  and  a  man  standing  near ; 
bring  the  ass  and  the  young  one  to  me,  for  I 
know  that  the  man  will  let  them  come. 

So  the  two  disciples  went.  When  they  had 
gone  a  little  way,  they  saw  an  ass  tied  up  and 
a  young  one.  They  began  to  untie  the  ass ; 
but  a  man  standing  near  said,  Why  do  you 
untie  the  ass  ? 

They  said,  The  Lord  hath  need  of  them; 
and  then  the  man  let  them  go. 

I  suppose  that  man  loved  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  liked  to  lend  him  his  things. 

The  two  disciples  brought  the  two  asses  to 
Jesus  They  took  off  some  of  their  clothes, 
and  put  them  on  the  young  ass,  and  Jesus  sat 
upon  him. 


JESUS  ENTERS  JERUSALEM.  J  j  £ 

A  great  many  people  came  out  of  Jerusalem 
to  see  Jesus,  for  they  had  heard  of  his  making 
Lazarus  alive  again.  The  people  began  to 
sing  in  praise  of  Jesus,  and  to  call  hirn  King 
They  took  off  some  of  their  clothes,  and  laid 
them  down  upon  the  road  for  the  ass  to  tread 
upon ;  and  they  broke  branches  off  the  trees 
that  grew  near,  and  laid  them  too  on  the  road. 

So  Jesus  came  to  the  great  town  of  Jerusa- 
lem :  all  the  people  came  into  the  streets  to 
look  at  him,  and  even  the  little  children  began 
to  praise  him,  and  to  call  him  King.  The 
proud  men  that  hated  Jesus  were  very  angry 
at  hearing  all  these  praises.  They  did  not 
like  to  hear  Jesus  praised.  They  came  to  him, 
and  said,  Why  do  you  let  these  children  call 
you  King? 

But  Jesus  liked  to  hear  the  children  sing 
his  praise,  and  he  would  not  tell  them  to  be 
silent. 

Jesus  loved  little  children,  and  these  little 
children  loved  Jesus. 

Jesus,  on  a  young  ass  seated, 

Comes  into  Jerusalem; 
See,  by  thousands  he  is  greeted, 

Boughs  are  plucked  and  strewed  for  him. 


116  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Hark  !  Jerusalem  is  ringing 

With  loud  shouts  from  many  tongues ; 

Hark  !  the  children  too  are  singing — 
Jesus  loves  those  infant  songs. 

"While  they  sing,  my  heart  rejoices," 
The  dear  Saviour  sweetly  said ; 

"  For  when  babes  lift  up  their  voices, 
Then  my  praise  is  perfected." 

CHILD. 

Is  my  dearest  Lord  delighted, 
With  the  songs  of  babes  like  me  ? 

Then  to  sing  I  am  invited, 
And  I  will  not  silent  be 


THE  TEMPLE.  117 

LESSON  XXXI. 

THE   TEMPLE. 
Lote  19 :  47,  48 ;  20 :  19,  20 ;  21 :  37,  38. 

There  was  a  large  building  in  Jerusalem, 
like  a  great  church,  called  "  the  Temple."  It 
was  white,  and  very  beautiful.  The  doors  were 
open  alj  day,  and  people  used  to  go  in  to  pray 
to  God.  It  was  God's  house ;  Jesus  used  often 
to  be  there  with  his  disciples.  Poor  blind  and 
lame  people  came  to  him  there,  and  he  cured 
them  all,  and  talked  to  them  about  his  Father. 

The  little  children  sang  his  praises  in  the 
temple.  All  day  long  Jesus  taught  the  people 
about  God,  and  they  listened  to  what  ho  said, 
and  liked  to  hear  him. 

The  wicked  and  proud  men  came  to  the 
temple  to  laugh  at  Jesus,  and  to  speak  rudely 
to  him ;  but  he  bore  all  as  meekly  as  a  lamb- 

At  night  he  left  the  temple,  and  went  out 
of  the  town  to  a  high  hill,  where  he  prayed  to 
God  alone  in  the  dark. 

The  wicked  men  longed  to  catch  Jesus,  to 
kill  him.  They  said  to  each  other,  How  can 
we  get  him  ?  The  people  will  not  let  us  take 
hold  of  him  if  they  see  us,  or  we  would  go  to 


118  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

the  temple  to  catch  him.  If  we  could  find  him 
alone  in  the  dark,  then  we  would  put  ropes  on 
him,  and  take  him  to  the  judge.  Thus  these 
wicked  men  often  said  to  each  other. 

Within  the  Temple  fair  and  grand, 
Where  holy  men  are  wont  to  pray, 
Behold  the  gentle  Saviour  stand, 
Teaching  sweet  wisdom  all  the  day. 

And  many  round  him  fondly  press, 
The  blind,  the  lame,  the  weeping  poor, 
Who  suffer  sickness  or  distress, 
Or  grace  or  pardon  would  implore. 

But  see,  another  troop  is  near, 

And  much  his  words  their  pride  displease , 

Like  hungry  lions  they  appear, 

Who  long  a  gentle  lamb  to  seize. 

The  Saviour  all  their  malice  knows, 
And  how  his  precious  life  they  seek; 
But  still  his  lips  he  will  not  close, 
Because  his  Father  bade  him  speak. 

Nor  does  his  heavenly  patience  fail, 
Nor  does  he  cease  his  love  to  show ; 
But  while  they  mock,  and  jeer,  and  rail, 
He  strives  to  save  their  souls  from  woe. 

CHILD. 

And  if,  when  trying  to  be  kind, 
I  too  should  with  unkindness  meet, 
0  let  me  show  a  patient  mind, 
And  ever  let  my  words  be  sweet. 


JUDAS.  119 

LESSON  XXXII. 

JUDAS. 
John  12:6;  Matthe-w  26:3,  4,  14-16. 

Jesus  had  twelve  disciples.  Did  they  all 
love  him  ? 

Peter  loved  Jesus,  and  John  loved  him,  and 
all  the  rest  loved  him,  hut  one ;  his  name  was 
Judas.  He  did  not  love  Jesus,  hut  only  pre- 
tended to  love  him.     He  was  like  the  devil. 

Did  Jesus  know  how  wicked  Judas  was  ? 

Yes,  he  saw  into  his  heart ;  but  the  disci- 
ples thought  Judas  was  good ;  for  Judas  used 
to  kiss  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  speak  kindly  to 
him,  and  talk  about  God  like  the  rest. 

But  Judas  loved  something ;  he  loved  money. 
He  wanted  to  get  a  great  deal  of  money. 

He  was  covetous,  and  he  was  a  thief.  The 
disciples  had  a  bag,  and  when  they  had  money, 
they  put  it  in  the  bag ;  and  all  the  disciples 
put  their  money  in  the  same  bag.  But  there 
was  very  little  money  in  the  bag,  for  they  were 
very  poor.  Judas  used  to  take  care  of  the  bag, 
and  he  used  to  steal  some  of  the  money  out  of 
it,  and  keep  it  for  himself;  but  no  one  found 


120  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

him  out,'  or  thought  he  was  a  thief,  except 
Jesus,  and  he  knew  it  well. 

Judas  was  always  thinking,  How  shall  I  get 
more  money  ? 

One  day  when  the  proud  men  were  sitting 
together,  Judas  came  in.  Judas  said,  You 
want  to  find  Jesus  when  he  is  alone  :  will  you 
give  me  some  money  ?  and  I  will  show  you 
where  he  goes  at  night. 

The  proud  people  said,  Yes,  we  will. 

Judas  said,  How  much  money  will  you  give 
me? 

They  said,  Thirty  pieces  of  silver. 

Then  Judas  said,  Some  night  I  will  bring 
you  to  Jesus  when  he  is  alone. 

The  wicked  people  were  very  glad  to  hear 
this. 

Now,  thought  they,  we  shall  soon  catch  him 
and  kill  him. 

Judas  went  back  to  Jesus,  and  told  none  of 
his  disciples  what  he  had  done.  But  Jesus 
knew  what  he  had  been  doing ;  for  Jesus  could 
see  all  his  thoughts,  and  knew  all  that  Judas 
did  both  in  the  day  and  in  the  night.  Yet 
Jesus  did  not  tell  Judas  that  he  knew  his 
wicked  plans. 


JUDAS.  121 

When  Jesus  on  the  earth  abode, 
Some  friends  he  had,  though  few  ; 

Their  love,  alas,  too  faintly  flowed. 
Yet  'twas  sincere  and  true. 

But  one  there  was  whose  heart  was  cold, 

Who  did  not  love  his  Lord, 
Bat  sought  of  silver  and  of  gold 

To  make  a  plenteous  hoard. 

His  wicked  thoughts  he  hid  from  all, 

And  piously  would  speak : 
The  Saviour  "Lord  and  Master"  call, 

And  even  kiss  his  cheek. 

In  vain  he  thus  his  love  declared, 

And  fond  attention  paid; 
In  vain  in  toil  and  danger  shared, 

In  vain  he  preached  and  prayed. 

Though  none  besides  the  sin  perceived, 

So  closely  veiled  by  art, 
Yet  He  could  never  be  deceived, 

Who  searches  every  heart. 

Full  well*the  blessed  Saviour  knew 

He  was  by  sin  enchained, 
And  from  the  bag  in  secret  drew 

The  money  it  contained. 

He  saw  him  in  the  depth  of  night, 

To  gain  a  base  reward, 
Promise  the  Jews  to  please  their  spite, 

And  to  betray  his  Lord. 


122  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Thus  Judas  gold  and  silver  chose, 

Instead  of  joys  above, 
And  plunged  his  soul  in  endless  woes, 

And  lost  his  Master's  love. 

CHILD. 

And  such  will  be  my  wretched  end, 

Whatever  I  appear, 
If  God  I  care  not  to  offend, 

And  man  alone  I  fear. 

If  I,  like  Judas,  talk  and  pray, 

And  yet  in  secret  steal, 
I  shall  be  punished  in  that  day 

When  God  shall  all  reveal. 


THE  LAST  SUPPEE.  123 

LESSON  XXXIII. 

THE  LAST   SUPPEE— PART   I. 
Ltjke  22 :  7-14 ;  John  13 : 1-17. 

Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  I  am  going  soon 
to  be  killed ;  but  before  I  die,  I  shall  _eat  a 
supper  with  you  in  Jerusalem. 

Then  Jesus  said  to  Peter  and  John,  Go  and 
get  the  supper  ready ;  but  they  said,  Where 
shall  we  get  it  ready  ?  For  Jesus  had  no 
house  in  Jerusalem ;  but  Jesus  knew  how  to 
find  a  room. 

So  Jesus  said  to  Peter  and  John,  Gro  into 
Jerusalem,  and  you  will  meet  a  man  carrying 
a  pitcher ;  go  after  him ;  he  will  go  into  a 
house.  The  master  of  the  house  will  lend  me 
a  room.  Tell  him  that  I  am  going  to  die, 
and  that  I  want  to  eat  a  supper  with  my 
disciples. 

Then  Peter  and  John  went  into  Jerusalem. 

Whom  did  they  meet  ?  A  man  carrying  a 
pitcher. 

They  followed  him.  He  went  into  a  house. 
Peter  and  John  went  in  after  him,  and  they 
said  to  the  master  of  the  house,  Jesus  wants  a 


124  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

room  to  eat  supper  in  with  his  disciples,  before 
he  dies. 

Then  the  master  took  them  up  stairs,  and 
showed  them  a  large  room,  with  a  table  in  it, 
and  seats  all  round  the  table,  and  a  pitcher, 
and  a  basin  to  wash  their  feet  in,  and  a  cup 
and  dishes. 

Then  Peter  and  John  got  some  bread  and 
wine,  and  other  things,  and  made  the  supper 
ready ;  and  they  went  back  and  told  Jesus, 
who  was  a  little  way  in  the  country,  that  sup- 
per was  ready.  So  Jesus  and  all  his  disciples 
came  to  the  house  in  the  evening ;  they  went 
up  stairs,  and  they  all  sat  down. 

Jesus  loved  John  very  much,  and  John  sat 
next  to  Jesus. 

After  they  had  been  a  little  while  at  supper, 
Jesus  got  up  and  took  a  towel,  and  tied  it 
round  his  waist,  and  took  a  pitcher  and  poured 
water  into  a  basin,  and  he  began  to  wash  his 
disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the 
towel  round  his  waist. 

But  when  he  came  to  Peter,  Peter  said, 
You  shall  never  wash  my  feet. 

Peter  thought  it  was  too  kind  in  Jesus  tc 
wash  his  feet,  as  if  he  were  a  servant;  but 


THE  LAST  SUPPER.  125 

Jesus  was  not  proud,  but  loved  to  be  Kind  to 
his  disciples. 

Then  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  If  I  wash  you  not, 
you  cannot  be  mine ;  but  I  have  made  you 
clean  already.  Jesus  had  made  Peter's  heart 
clean. 

Then  Peter  was  glad  that  Jesus  should  wash 
his  feet. 

All  the  disciples  had  clean  hearts,  except 
Judas,  and  his  heart  was  full  of  wickedness. 
Satan  was  in  it.  Yet  Jesus  washed  Judas1 
feet.  He  was  kind  even  to  the  wicked  Judas, 
who  hated  him. 

When  Jesus  had  washed  the  disciples'  feet  he 
sat  down  again,  and  began  to  talk  to  them. 

He  said,  Do  you  know  what  I  have  done  to 
you  ?  I  have  washed  your  feet,  though  I  am 
your  Lord  and  Master.  I  wish  to  teach  you  to 
be  as  kind  to  each  other  as  I  have  been  to  you 

When  the  sad  hour  was  almost  come 

That  Jesus  must  depart. 
He  gathered  in  an  upper  room 

Those  nearest  to  his  heart. 
* 
Ah,  great  was  their  astonishment. 

When,  rising  from  his  seat, 
Upon  the  floor  he  lowly  bent 

To  wash  his  servants'  feet. 


126  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Beside  the  board  again  he  sate, 
And  thus  expressed  his  mind  : 

"  If  I,  your  Lord,  upon  you  wait, 
0  should  not  you  be  kind  ? 

0  let  the  love  that  I  have  shown, 
By  you  remembered  be ; 

And  by  your  love,  let  it  be  known 
That  you  belong  to  me." 

CHILD. 

0  Lord,  it  is  my  fond  desire 
That  thou  my  name  wilt  own ; 

And  much  the  kindness  I  admire, 
That  in  thy  actions  shone. 

But  0,  how  hard  to  imitate  ! 

To  thee  for  help  I  call : 
On  others  may  I  love  to  wait, 

And  be  the  least  of  all. 


THE  LAST  SUPPER.  127 

LESSON  XXXIV. 

THE   LAST   SUPPER— PART  II. 
John  13:21-30. 

You  know  the  wicked  thing  that  Judas 
meant  to  do.     Jesus  knew  that  he  would  brinsr 

o 

the  wicked  people  to  take  him  and  kill  him. 
Jesus  had  been  very  kind  to  Judas,  and  Jesus 
was  sorry  that  he  was  so  wicked. 

As  Jesus  was  sitting  at  supper,  and  all  the 
twelve  'disciples  sitting  round,  he  said,  One  of 
you  will  give  me  to  the  wicked  men  to  be 
killed ;  one  of  you,  my  disciples. 

All  the  disciples  were  very  sorry ;  and  Peter 
said,  "  Is  it  I  ?"  and  John  said,  "  Is  it  I  ?"  and 
each  of  them  said,  "Is  it  I ?"  but  Jesus  did 
not  tell  them  which. 

Now  John  was  leaning  his  head  on  Jesus' 
bosom,  and  Peter  whispered  to  John,  and  said, 
Do  ask  the  Lord  which  it  is  that  will  show 
the  wicked  people  where  he  is  ? 

So  John  whispered,  and  said,  "Which  is  it  ? 

And  Jesus  said,  The  one  that  dips  the  bread 
in  the  sop  with  me. 

For  there  was  a  dish  of  sauce  on  the  table, 


128  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY 

and  Jesus  dipped  his  bread  in  it,  and  as  he 
dipped  it,  one  of  the  disciples  put  his  hand  in 
the  dish  too.     "Which  was  it  ? 

Judas :  he  dipped  his  bread  in  the  dish  with 
Jesus.  So  John  knew  which  it  was  that  was 
so  wicked. 

Then  Jesus  said  to  Judas,  Gro  and  do  what 
you  mean  to  do. 

And  Judas  got  up  and  went  out  of  the 
room. 

"Where  did  he  go  ? 

He  went  to  the  wicked  people,  to"  bring 
them  to  Jesus  in  the  dark.  But  the  disciples 
thought  he  was  going  to  buy  something,  or  tc 
give  money  to  the  poor. 

One  night  the  Saviour  said, 

"  My  hours  to  live  are  few; 
I  soon  shall  be  betrayed. 
My  friends,  by  one  of  you." 
"  Lord,  is  it  I  ?" 
They  all  do  cry. 

Beloved  above  the  rest, 

John  leaned  his  gentle  head 
Upon  the  Saviour's  breast, 
And  softly  whispering,  said, 
"  Lord,  tell  me  who 
This  thing  shall  do." 


THE  LAST  SUPPER.  129 

"  One  of  this  little  band," 

The  Saviour  answering,  said, 
"  Will  hither  reach  his  hand, 
And  dip  with  me  his  bread. 
Who  dips  with  me 
The  same  is  he." 

CHILD. 

Dear  Lord,  how  could  it  be, 

That  one  who  lived  all  day 
And  ate  his  bread  with  thee, 
Should  thy  dear  life  betray  ! 
Ah,  how  could  he 
Thus  deal  with  thee  ! 

Not  so  would  I  reward 

Thy  tender  love  to  me ; 
I  would,  my  dearest  Lord, 
Thy  faithful  servant  be 
For  thou  art  he 
Who  died  for  me. 


eep  of  Day. 


130  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   XXXV. 

THE  LAST   SUPPER— PART  III. 
Matthew  26 :  26-36 ;  John  14 : 1-4 ;  18 : 1-3. 

After  supper  Jesus  took  some  bread  and 
broke  it  in  pieces,  and  gave  a  piece  to  each 
of  the  disciples ;  and  he  said,  This  is  my 
body ;  I  am  going  to  die ;  eat  this,  and  think 
of  me. 

Then  Jesus  poured  some  wine  into  a  cup, 
and  told  them  all  to  drink  out  of  it.  He  said, 
This  is  my  blood  ;  I  shall  soon  bleed  and  die  ; 
drink  this,  and  think  of  me. 

Jesus  said,  1  shall  not  eat  supper  with  you 
again  before  I  die.  I  am  going  to  my  Father  ; 
I  must  leave  you,  but  I  shall  come  back 
again. 

Then  they  all  sang  a  hymn. 

Afterwards  Jesus  got  up  from,  the  table  and 
went  down  stairs  into  the  street,  and  the  dis- 
ciples followed  him.  It  was  dark  ;  but  Jesus 
talked  to  them  as  they  went  along.  He  said, 
I  am  going  to  die,  and  to-night  you  will  all 
leave  me. 

But  Peter  said,  I  will  not  leave  you ;  I  will 


THE  LAST  SUPPER.  131 

go  to  prison  with  you,  I  will  die  with  you; 
but  I  will  never  leave  you. 

Jesus  said  to  him,  Yes,  you  will,  Peter ;  you 
will  say  that  you  do  not  know  me ;  you  will 
say  that  you  are  not  my  friend.  This  night, 
Peter,  you  will  say  so  before  the  cock  crows. 
For  cocks  crow  in  the  morning,  when  it  is 
light. 

Jesus  talked  sweetly  to  his  disciples.  He 
said,  Do  not  be  sorry  because  I  am  going 
away.  I  shall  go  back  to  my  Father ;  but 
when  I  am  in  heaven  I  shall  not  forget  you. 
I  shall  get  ready  a  place  in  heaven  for  you ; 
only  love  one  another,  and  I  will  send  my 
Spirit  into  your  hearts. 

At  last  Jesus  came  to  a  garden.  He  had 
often  been  to  that  garden  with  his  disciples, 
and  wicked  Judas  knew  the  place. 

"Where  was  Judas  now  ? 

He  was  with  the  wicked,  proud  men, 

You  will  soon  rfear  how  he  came  to  the 
garden,  and  how  he  brought  the  servants  of 
the  wicked  men  with  him.  For  these  wicked 
men  were  rich  and  proud.  They  would  not 
go  and  take  Jesus  themselves,  but  they  would 
send  their  servants, 


132  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

"This  is  my  flesh,"  the  sorrowing  Saviour  said, 
And  as  he  spake,  he  gave  the  broken  bread : 
"This  is  my  blood;"  and  then  he  bade  all  drink, 
And  of  their  dying  Master  ever  think. 

"  Soon  shall  I  die,  my  body  torn  and  bruised, 
My  name  by  wicked,  cruel  men  abused; 
A  nd  even  you,  my  dearest  friends,  shall  fly, 
A  ad  leave  your  Master  all  alone  to  die." 

liis  friends  in  sorrow  heard;  then  promised 
With  him  they  fondly  loved  their  blood  to  shed ; 
And  Peter  loudest  said,*"  With  thee  I'll  die;" 
And  little  thought  he  should  his  Lord  deny. 

CHILD. 
Sometimes  I  think  I  never  shall  offend, 
By  doing  wrong,  my  best,  my  heavenly  Friend ; 
How  soon  my  heart  forgets  !     To  God  I'll  pray 
For  grace  to  keep  me  in  his  holy  way. 


THE   GARDEN.  133 

LESSON  XXXVI. 

THE   GARDEN. 
Matthew  26:30-57;  John  18:1-12. 

When  Jesus  was  come  to  the  garden,  he 
told  all  his  disciples  to  stop  in  one  place  till 
he  came  back,  except  three  that  he  took  with 
him. 

Who  were  they  ? 

Peter,  James,  and  John.  He  took  them 
further  on  in  the  garden,  and  then  said  to 
them,  I  feel  very  sad  indeed.  I  am  going  to 
pray.  Do  you  stay  here.  Do  not  go  to  sleep, 
but  pray  while  I  am  praying. 

Then  Jesus  went  a  little  way  off  by  him- 
self, and  fell  upon  the  ground  and  began  to 
pray.  He  said,  0  Father,  save  me  from  death ; 
but  do  what  thou  wilt,  not  what  I  will. 

He  prayed  very  earnestly,  and  so  great  was 
his  sorrow  that  the  blood  came  out  of  his  skin, 
and  fell  on  the  ground.  Then  he  got  up,  and 
went  back  to  Peter  and  James  and  John,  but 
he  found  them  asleep.  He  woke  them,  and 
told  them  to  pray. 

Then  he  went  back  and  prayed  again  to  his 


134  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Father,  saying,  Father,  save  me  from  death ; 
yet,  not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done.  Then 
he  came  back  to  his  disciples,  but  they  had 
fallen  asleep  again. 

Then  Jesus  prayed  again,  and  his  Father 
sent  an  angel  from  heaven  to  comfort  him.  I 
do  not  know  what  the  angel  said,  but  I  know 
the  angel  loved  him,  and  could  speak  sweet 
words  to  him,  and  tell  him  how  his  Father 
loved  him.  The  angel  did  not  stay  long:  he 
soon  went  back  to  God. 

Then  Jesus  came  again  to  his  disciples,  and 
found  them  still  asleep.  But  Jesus  woke  them, 
and  told  them  to  get  up,  For  Judas,  he  said, 
is  near. 

While  Jesus  was  saying  this,  a  great  many 
people  were  seen  walking  in  the  garden.  These 
were  the  servants  of  the  proud  men  in  Jeru- 
salem. They  had  swords,  and  sticks,  and  lan- 
terns in  their  hand.  And  Judas  went  before 
them  to  show  them  where  Jesus  was.  But 
Judas  came  up  slyly  to  Jesus,  and  gave  him  a 
kiss,  pretending  to  love  him. 

Jesus  knew  what  Judas  was  doing,  and  he 
said,  Friend,  why  do  you  come  here  ?  and  why 
do  you  kiss  me  ? 


THE    GARDEN.  135 

Jesus  did  not  run  away,  but  he  went  up  to 
the  wicked  men,  and  said,  Whom  are  you 
looking  for  ? 

They  said,  For  Jesus. 

He  said,  I  am  he. 

When  he  said  that,  Grod  made  all  the  wicked 
people  fall  upon  their  backs  upon  the  ground. 
Then  Jesus  could  have  run  away,  but  he  chose 
to  stay  that  he  might  die  for  sinners. 

The  wicked  people   soon   got  up ;   God  let 
them  get  up;  but  Jesus  said  to  them,  You" 
may  take  me,  but  let  my  disciples  go  away. 

It  was  kind  in  Jesus  to  think  of  them,  and 
they  were  frightened  and  glad  to  get  away ; 
they  feared  to  stay  to  die  with  Jesus. 

But  Peter  took  a  sword  and  cut  off  one  of 
the  wicked  men's  ears.  Peter  wished  to  fight ; 
but  Jesus  said,  Put  up  your  sword ;  do  not 
fight  for  me.  I  could  have  thousands  of  angels 
to  fight  for  me,  if  I  wished  it ;  but  I  choose  to 
die,  because  it  is  my  Father's  will  that  I  should 
die.  Then  Jesus  touched  the  man's  ear,  and 
made  it  well. 

Then  Peter  and  all  the  rest  of  the  disci- 
ples went  away,  and  left  Jesus  quite  alone 
with  the  wicked  men.     They  took  ropes  and 


136  THE  PEEP  OP  DAY. 

tied  his  hands,  and  they  led  him  away  into 
Jerusalem,  and  he  went  along  meekly  as  a 
iamb. 


"  Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done."    Lttke  22 :  42. 

How  dreadful  was  the  hour 
When  Christ  the  Son  of  God 
Was  bruised  by  Satan's  power, 
And  sweat  great  drops  of  blood  ! 
His  soul  was  struggling  hard  with  fear, 
When  he  poured  out  his  griefs  in  prayer. 

How  earnestly  he  prayed 
The  cup  might  pass  away  ! 
But  though  so  sore  afraid, 
He  still  these  words  did  say : 
"  Father,  thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done." 
Such  was  thy  prayer,  0  blessed  Son. 

And  should  it  not  be  mine  ? 

Full  well,  my  God,  I  know 

That  holy  will  of  thine 

Would  save  my  soul  from  woe : 
But  should  I  have  my  foolish  will, 
My  soul  in  hell  would  perish  still. 

Then  why  do  I  complain 

I  can't  have  all  I  would, 

Since  God  will  give  me  pain 

Only  to  do  me  good  ? 
And  in  the  end  he'll  send  relief, 
And  give  me  joy  instead  of  grief. 


THE   GARDEN.  137 

:  What !  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour  ?"     Matt.  26  :  40. 
The  friends  who  meant  a  watch  to  keep, 
With  grief  opprest  have  fallen  asleep, 

While  their  dear  Master  prayed. 
Since  they  no  comfort  can  impart, 
An  angel  comes  to  cheer  his  heart, 

Which  is  of  death  afraid. 

Could  they  not  watch  one  little  hour, 
With  him  they  soon  should  see  no  more 

Upon  this  earth  beneath  ? 
Not  watch  with  him  in  his  distress, 
Who  was  all  love  and  tenderness, 

And  still  did  pity  breathe  ? 

But  hear  the  Saviour  gently  speak : 
He  says,  though  willing,  they  are  weak, 

And  bids  them  rise  and  pray 
Oh,  now  the  hour  of  prayer  is  past ; 
The  enemy  is  come  at  last 

To  take  the  Lord  away. 

0  how  I  love  the  patience  rare, 
With  which  I  see  my  Saviour  bear 

His  friends'  unkind  neglect ! 
Since  he  to  them  such  love  has  showi 
He  might,  when  suffering  thus  alone, 

Their  tenderest  care  expect. 

And  when  my  angry  passions  rise, 
I'll  set  the  Lord  before  my  eyes, 

His  gentle  voice  I'll  hear ; 
And  the  same  patience  ti  y  to  show, 
If  left  alone  with  pain  or  woe 

By  my  companions  dear. 


138  THE   PEEP  OF  DA*. 

LESSON   XXXVII. 

PETER'S   DENIAL. 
Matthew  26:57,  to  end. 

The  wicked,  proud  men  who  hated  Jesus 
sat  up  all  night.  They  had  sent  their  servants 
to  fetch  Jesus.  They  were  in  a  fine  house, 
seated  on  seats  round  the  room  talking  togeth- 
er, and  longing  for  Jesus  to  be  brought. 
.  They  said  to  one  another,  We  will  have  him 
killed  when  he  comes;  we  will  take  him  to 
the  judge. 

At  last  Jesus  came  in  with  the  wicked  ser- 
vants. The  proud  men  were  glad  to  see  him. 
They  made  him  stand  up  in  the  midst  of  the 
large  room.  Then  they  spoke  roughly.  Are 
you  the  Son  of  Grod  ?  they  said. 

Yes,  said  Jesus,  I  am,  and  one  day  you  will 
see  me  coming  in  the  clouds  with  the  angels ; 
then  you  will  know  that  I  am  the  Son  of  Grod. 

Then  the  wicked  men  were  angry. 

Do  you  hear  what  he  says  ?  they  cried  out ; 
he  calls  himself  the  Son  of  G-od ;  he  must  be 
taken  to  the  judge  to  be  killed. 

Jesus  stood  meekly  all  this  while,  and  hard- 
ly spoke  a  word. 


PETER'S  DENIAL.  139 

"What  had  become  of  the  disciples  ? 

They  had  gone  away. 

Had  Peter  gone  away  ? 

Peter  said  he  would  die  with  Jesus.  But 
he  went  away  too. 

At  last  Peter  thought,  I  will  go  and  look  for 
Jesus;  I  should  like  to  see  what  the  wicked 
men  are  doing  to  him. 

So  Peter  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  into  the 
fine  house.  He  came  into  the  hall  first :  the 
wicked  servants  were  sittinsr  round  a  fire  in 
the  hall ;  a  door  was  open,  and  through  the 
door  Peter  could  see  Jesus.  There  he  was, 
standing  before  the  wicked  men.  Peter  hoped 
that  nobody  would  know  that  he  was  one  of 
Jesus'  disciples,  lest  he  should  be  killed.  But 
as  Peter  was  sitting  by  the  fire,  warming  him- 
self, a  maid  said  to  him,  You  are  one  of  Jesus' 
disciples. 

Then  Peter  was  frightened,  and  said,  No, 
I  am  not.  I  do  not  know  the  man  you 
speak  of 

Then  Peter  got  up,  and  went  .outside  the 
door ;  but  another  maid  said  to  him,  lam  sure 
you  are  one  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 

No,  said  Peter,  I  am  not.     So  Peter  went 


140  *  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

back  again  to  the  fire,  and  began  talking  with 
the  servants. 

But  some  of  them  remembered  having  seen 
Peter  in  the  garden,  and  they  came  to  Peter, 
and  said,  We  are  certain  that  you  are  one  of 
the  disciples.  I  saw  you  in  the  garden,  said 
one. 

Then  Peter  began  to  swear,  and  to  say  that 
he  was  not. 

While  Peter  was  speaking  so  wickedly,  he 
heard  a  cock  crow. 

Then  Peter  remembered  what  Jesus  had 
said,  and  he  looked  at  Jesus,  and  Jesus  turned 
round  his  face  and  looked  at  Peter.  It  was 
such  a  look !  Jesus  did  not  speak^but  his 
look  seemed  to  say,  Is  this  Peter,  my  friend, 
who  said  he  would  die  with  me  ?  Is  this  his 
love  for  me  ?  Does  he  say  he  does  not  know 
me? 

Peter  felt  very  sorry ;  he  felt  as  if  his  heart 
would  break ;  and  he  went  out  of  the  house, 
and  began  to  cry  very  much  indeed.  For 
Peter  did  really  love  Jesus,  only  Satan  had 
tempted  him  to  be  so  wicked  as  to  say  he  did 
not  know  him. 

If  Peter  had  prayed  in  the  garden  instead  oi 


PETER'S  DENIAL.  141 

going  to  sleep,  he  would  have  done  better.  But 
Christ  had  often  prayed  for  Peter,  that  Satan 
might  not  get  his  soul  at  last. 

When  Peter  sat  within  the  hall, 
To  see  what  should  his  Lord  befall, 
He  said  he  never  knew  the  man, 
And  e'en  to  curse  and  swear  began. 

His  sorrowing  Master  turned  his  head, 
And  by  his  looks  he  sweetly  said, 
"  Does  Peter  say  he  knows  me  not  ? 
Has  Peter  then  my  love  forgot  ?" 

Soon  Peter  wept  most  bitterly, 
That  he  had  dared  his  Lord  deny 
His  Lord  is  mine  !  I  love  him  too, 
0  may  I  prove  to  him  more  true. 

But  if  I  sin,  0  grant  that  I 
•May  weep  and  mourn  most  bitterly : 
And  may  it  pierce  me  like  a  sword, 
To  think  I've  grieved  my  dearest  Lord. 


142  THE  FEET  OF  DAY 

LESSON  XXXVIII. 

PONTIUS   PILATE. 
John  18  :  22,  to  end  ;  Matthew  26  :  67,  68 ;  John  19  : 1-16. 

All  night  long  Jesus  stood  in  the  great 
room ;  he  heard  all  Peter  said,  and  that  must 
have  grieved  him.  The  wicked  people  were 
like  lions  and  tigers,  and  Jesus  like  a  lamb. 
They  looked  at  him  as  if  they  hated  him. 

Once,  when  he  spoke,  a  servant  struck  him 
on  the  face,  but  he  bore  this  meekly. 

The  judge  was  not  up  yet,  for  it  was  night ; 
so  the  wicked  people  were  forced  to  wait  till 
the  morning.  ^ 

The  servants  came  round  Jesus,  and  blind- 
folded him,  and  beat  him,  and  pushed  him, 
and  spit  upon  him,  and  mocked  him. 

When  the  morning  came,  the  wicked  people 
said,  Now  we  will  bring  him  to  the  judge. 

So  they  went  out  of  their  fine  house,  and 
took  Jesus  with  them. 

The  judge  sat  upon  a  high  seat  in  the  hall. 
His  name  was  Pontius  Pilate.  The  judge  did 
not  know  Jesus.  The  judge  said,  What  has 
he  done  ? 


PONTIUS  PILATE.  143 

The  wicked  people  said,  He  calls  himself  a 
King. 

Then  Pilate  said  to  Jesus,  Are  you  a  King  ? 
And  Jesus  said,  Yes,  I  am.  But  Pilate  thought 
that  he  looked  very  good,  and  he  did  not  like 
to  punish  him 

Then  the  wicked  men  made  a  great  noise, 
and  said,  You  must  crucify  him. 

No,  said  Pilate,  I  will  beat  him,  and  that 
will  be  enough.  So  Pilate  gave  Jesus  to  some 
soldiers,  who  took  him  into  a  house,  and  beat 
him  with  knotted  ropes — this  way  of  beating 
is  called  scourging — and  the  blood  ran  down 
his  back.  Then  the  cruel  soldiers  laughed  at 
him,  because  he  had  said  he  was  a  King. 
They  took  off  his  own  clothes,  and  put  some 
fine  clothes  on  him,  such  as  kings  wear,  pur- 
ple and  red. 

Then  they  said,  We  must  put  a  crown  on 
his  head.  So  they  took  prickly  thorns,  sharp 
like  pins,  and  twisted  them  together,,  and  made 
a  crown,  and  put  it  on  his  head. 

They  said,  He  must  have  a  sceptre — for 
kings  hold  something  called  a  sceptre  in  their 
hands — so  they  pu,t  a  reed  in  his  hand  for  a 
sceptre.     Then  they  took  it  from  him,  and  beat 


144  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

him  on  the  head  ;  and  they  knelt  down  to  him 
laughing,  and  said,  0  King !  0  King ! 

Pilate  then  brought  Jesus  into  the  street, 
where  the  wicked  people  were,  and  a  very- 
great  crowd,  and  he  showed  Jesus  to  them, 
and  said,  Look  at  your  King. 

Pilate  hoped  they  would  be  sorry  to  see  him 
so  ill-used :  blood  upon  his  forehead  from  the 
thorns,  and  his  back  scourged,  and  dressed  in 
fine  clothes,  to  mock  him ;  but  the  wicked 
people  were  cruel  like  tigers. 

No,  said  they  ;  Crucify  him !  crucify  him ! 
All  the  people  cried  out,  Crucify  him !  though 
Jesus  had  always  been  so  kind  to  them. 

Will  you  crucify  your  king  ?  said  Pilate. 

He  shall  not  be  our  king,  the  people  said. 
There  was  a  very  great  noise  in  the  street, 
from  the  people  all  speaking  at  once. 

Then  Pilate  thought  he  would  please  the 
wicked  people,  and  he  said,  Take  him,  and 
crucify  him.  Then  the  people  were  glad. 
But  first  the  soldiers  took  off  the  fine  clothes, 
and  put  his  own  clothes  on  him  again. 

How  wicked  it  was  in  Pilate  to  let  him  be 
crucified!  Pilate  thought  Jesus  was  good, 
yet  he  let  him  be  killed  to  please  the  people. 


PONTIUS  PILATE.  145 

What !  are  tliere  none  to  take  His  part, 
Who  silent,  trembling,  bleeding  stands  ? 
Not  one  to  cheer  his  broken  heart, 
Or  snatch  him  from  those  cruel  hands  ? 

A  thousand  voices  lifted  high 
Now  fill  with  horrid  shouts  the  air, 
"  Away  with  him,  and  crucify," 
Nor  does  one  friend  for  him  appear. 

What  has  he  done  to  stir  such  hate  ? 
Has  he  then  shed  some  just  man's  blood, 
For  strangers  laid  in  secret  wait, 
Or  boldly  dared  blaspheme  his  God  ? 

Not  one  of  these,  but  this  has  done  : 
Has  left  his  glorious  throne  above, 
Has  put  a  servant's  body  on, 
And  spent  his  days  in  deeds  of  love : 

Has  filled  the  hungry  soul  with  bread ; 
Has  healed  the  sick,  and  blind,  and  lame , 
To  mourners  words  of  comfort  said, 
And  ever  praised  his  Father's  name. 

Behold,  how  men  his  love  reward  ! 
His  tender  flesh  the  scourge  has  torn, 
His  gentle  hands  are  bound  with  cord, 
His  head  is  crowned  with  prickly  thorn. 

He  was  too  good,  too  holy,  far, 
To  live  with  sinners  here  below : 
His  faithful  tongue  bade  men  beware, 
Lest  they  should  plunge  in  endless  woe. 

Peep  of  Day.  1  Q 


146  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

'Tis  true,  he  is  to  some  hearts  dear, 

And  they  for  him  in  secret  mourn, 

But  dare  not  on  his  side  appear, 

Lest  they  should  share  his  pain  and  scorn. 

But  why  did  God  the  Father  let 
His  only  Son  be  treated  thus  ? 
He  sent  his  Son  to  pay  our  debt, 
And  suffer  all  this  pain  for  us. 


My  flesh  should  be  with  scourging  torn, 
My  little  hands  be  bound  with  cord, 
My  head  be  crowned  with  prickly  thorn. 

And  now,  what  can  I  do  for  him 
Who  suffered  all  this  pain  for  me  ? 
Whene'er  I  feel,  or  hear  of  sin, 
I'll  think,  0  dearest  Lord,  of  thee. 

Nor  shall  my  hands  in  anger  strike, 
When  thy  dear  hands  for  me  were  bound , 
Nor  shall  my  head  with  passion  shake, 
When  thine  with  prickly  thorns  was  crowned. 

And  when  I  hear  one  laughing  tell 
Of  sinful  things  that  men  have  done. 
I  will  not  smile,  but  sorrow  feel, 
Because  sin  bruised  God's  only  Son. 


DEATH  OF  JUDAS.  147 


LESSON  XXXIX 


DEATH  OF  JUDAS. 
Matthew  27 : 3-5. 

"Where  was  Judas  all  this  while  ? 

The  wicked  people  had. given  him  the  mon- 
ey, thirty  pieces  of  silver,  but  Judas  could  not 
be  happy. 

Ah,  thought  he,  I  have  killed  my  good  Mas- 
ter ;  what  a  wicked  man  I  am ! 

Judas  felt  that  Jie  could  not  like  the  money. 
He  could  not  bear  to  keep  it,  because  he  had 
done  such  a  wicked  thing  to  get  it.  So  he 
brought  it  back  to  tire  wicked  men ;  he  threw 
it  down  on  the  floor,  and  then  he  went  into  a 
field,  and  tied  a  rope  round  his  throat,  and 
hanged  himself  on  a  tree  till  he  died.  It  was 
very  wicked  in  Judas  to  hang  himself,  instead 
Gf  praying  to  G-od  to  forgive  him. 

"Where  did  Judas'  soul  go  when  he  died  ? 

It  went  to  hell,  and  to  Satan.  Judas  is  in 
the  wicked  place  now;  and  Jesus  will  judge 
him  at  the  last  day,  and  say,  Depart,  thou 
cursed. 


148  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

The  horrid  deed  is  done, 

And  Jesus  is  betrayed ; 

The  price  of  God's  own  Son 

To  Judas  has  been  paid ; 
But  peace  of  mind  he  never  more  shall  know7 
This  deed  shall  plunge  his  soul  in  endless  woe. 

Alas,  what  shall  he  do? 

Where  shall  he  hide  his  head  ? 

The  dreadful  news  is  true 

That  Christ  \o  death  is  led. 
Within  the  grave  shall  hapless  Judas  hide 
His  wretched  head — his  soul  in  hell  abide. 

Such  is  the  fearful  end 

Of  one  whom  Jesus  taught ; 

Who  was  his  chosen  friend, 

Who  works  of  mercy  wrought. 
One  secret  sin,  within  his  bosom  nursed, 
Brought  him  to  share  the  portion  of  the  cursed. 

0  God,  I  fly  to  thee 

To  search  my  sinful  heart, 

Lest  I  should  cursed  be, 

And  from  thy  face  depart ; 
Lest  I  should  ever  know  the  bitter  pams 
That  devils  feel  midst  "darkness,  fire,  and  chains." 


THE   CROSS.  149 

LESSON  XL. 

THE   CROSS— PART  I. 
Luke  28 :  26-34. 

The  wicked  people  were  very  glad  when 
Pilate  said  Jesus  was  to  be  crucified.  They 
made  a  cross  of  two  great  pieces  of  wood,  like 
beams,  and  made  Jesus  carry  it.  They  took 
him  out  of  Jerusalem  into  the  country.  The 
wicked  people  went  with  him. 

Jesus  was  so  weak  that  he  could  hardly 
walk,  and  the  cross  was  so  heavy  that  he 
could  not  carry  it.  He  would  have  dropped 
down  on  the  way,  if  a  man  had  not  helped 
him  to  carry  the  cross. 

There  were  a  few  people  who  were  sorry 
for  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Some  women,  who  loved  him  very  much, 
came  crying  after  him.  Jesus  heard  them 
crying,  and  he  turned  round  and  spoke  very 
kindly  to  them. 

He  said,  Do  not  cry  for  me :  cry  when  you 
think  how  these  wicked  people  will  be  pun- 
ished for  all  they  are  doing. 

At  last  Jesus  came  to  an  open  place  out  of 


150  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

the  city.  Then  the  soldiers  made  Jesus  lie 
upon  his  cross,  and  they  put  nails  in  his  hands, 
and  nails  in  his  feet.  So  they  nailed  him  to 
the  cross.  Then  the  soldiers  made  a  hole  in 
the  ground,  and  set  up  the  cross  in  it. 

They  had  taken  off  Jesus'  clothes;  and 
when  he  was  on  the  cross,  the  soldiers  parted 
the  clothes,  and  each  took  a  part ;  but  his  coat 
was  so  beautiful,  they  said,  We  will  not  tear  it, 
because  there  is  no  seam  in  it;  then  one  of  the 
soldiers  took  it  for  his  own.  So  the  wicked 
people  took  every  thing  away  from  Jesus. 

"Was  Jesus  very  angry  with  them  ? 

No ;  he  was  meek  as  a  lamb.  He  prayed 
to  his  Father  while  he  was  upon  the  cross ;  he 
could  not  lift  up  his  hands,  but  he  could  speak 
to  (xod.  He  prayed  for  these  wicked  people, 
and  said,  "  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do." 

'c  Father,  forgive,"  the  sufferer  cries, 
"  Because  they  know  not  what  they  do.' ' 
To  heaven  he  lifts  his  dying  eyes : 
Was  such  a  prayer  e'er  heard  below  ? 

Tell  me  for  whom  the  Saviour  prays : 
For  those  who  bear  him  deadly  hate, 
Who  spit  upon  his  lovely  face, 
And  pierced  his  blessed  hands  and  feet. 


THE   CROSS.  151 

And  does  the  Saviour  pray  for  these  ? 
Ah,  then  I  see  that  I  should  pray 
For  all  who  hurt  me,  vex,  or  teaze, 
By  spiteful  things  they  do  or  say. 

Alas,  I  feel  my  heart 's  inclined 
To  do  to  them  as  they  to  me, 
And  by  my  words  and  deeds  unkind 
To  let  all  such  my  anger  see. 

Yet  I  have  sinned  against  my  God, 
And  disobeyed  ten  thousand  times  : 
Am  I  prepared  to  feel  his  rod 
Avenging  my  ten  thousand  crimes  ? 

And  thus  he  says  he'll  deal  with  me. 
If  I'm  unwilling  to  forgive ; 
For  only  those  like  Christ  shall  see 
The  glorious  place  where  angeis  live. 


]52  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   XLL 

THE   CROSS— PART   II. 
Luke  23:35-43. 

Pontius  Pilate  wrote  these  words  on  the 
top  of  Jesus'  cross :  This  is  the  King  of  the 
Jews. 

Who  were  the  Jews  ? 

The  people  who  lived  in  Judea  were  called 
Jews. 

All  the  wicked  people  laughed  when  they 
read  these  words ;  they  shook  their  heads,  and 
pouted  their  lips  at  Jesus,  and  said,  If  you  are 
the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross. 

Could  Jesus  have  come  down  ? 

He  could  do  every  thing ;  but  he  chose  to 
stay  to  die  for  sinners. 

The  wicked  people  said,  If  God  loved  him, 
he  would  not  leave  him  to  die  on  the  cross. 
But  his  Father  let  him  die  to  save  us. 

There  was  a  cross  on  each  side  of  Jesus, 
and  a  thief  nailed  upon  each  cross.  One  of 
these  thieves  railed  at  Jesus :  he  said,  "Why 
do  you  not  save  us,  if  you  are  the  Son  of 
God? 


THE   CROSS.  l£>3 

The  other  t^ief  was  sorry  for  his  sins,  and 
he  loved  Jesus. 

The  thief  who  was  sorry  said  to  the  other 
thief,  "We  have  been  very  wicked ;  we  deserve 
to  be  crucified ;  but  Jesus  is  perfectly  holy. 

Then  he  spoke  to  Jesus,  and  said,  Remem- 
ber, me,  and  save  me.  He  wanted  Jesus  to 
save  him  from  hell.  And  Jesus  said,  You 
shall  come  to  paradise  with  me  to-day.  So 
Christ  heard  the  poor  thief's  prayer ;  for  Jesus 
died  that  he  might  save  all  who  believe  in 
him  as  the  Son  of  (rod  and  the  Saviour  of 
sinners. 

If  you  go  to  heaven  you  will  see  that  poor 
thief. 

Near  to  the  cross  where  Jesus  died, 
A  thief  was  placed  on  either  side, 

Each  nailed  upon  a  tree : 
The  one  reviled  Christ's  name  in  death  ; 
The  other  cried  with  dying  breath, 

"  0  Lord,  remember  me.'7 

The  Saviour  heard  the  poor  thief's  prayer, 
And  promised  he  would  take  him  where 

Our  God  and  angels  dwell. 
Alas,  his  life  was  spent  in  sin : 
What  joy  a  heaven  at  last  to  win, 

And  to  escape  from  hell ! 


]54  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

• 

And  0,  for  him  what  glad  surprise 

When  heavenly  glories  met  his  eyes. 

And  Christ  arrayed  in  light ! 

He  just  had  seen  the  dying  pains. 

That  had  released  his  soul  from  chains 

And  everlasting  night. 

Ah,  sure,  of  all  the  hosts  that  sing 
The  praises  of  their  heavenly  King, 

His  voice  was  loudest  heard ; 
For  when  just  trembling  on  the  brink, 
And  just  about  in  hell  to  sink, 

The  Lord  for  him  appeared. 

CHILD. 

I  would  not  wish  my  life  to  spend, 
Like  him,  a  stranger  to  the  Friend 

Who  gave  his  life  for  me ; 
But  yet,  like  him — afraid  to  fall 
In  deepest  woe — to  God  I  call, 


THE  CROSS.  155 

LESSON   XLII. 

THE   CROSS— PART  III. 
John  19:32-37;  Matthew  27:45-54. 

Mary,  Jesus'  mother,  stood  near  the  cross. 
She  came  to  see  her  son  die.  She  was  very 
sorry ;  she  felt  her  heart  full  of  pain  at  the 
sight. 

She  loved  her  dear  good  son,  who  had  been 
kind  to  her  ever  since  he  was  a  babe,  and  had 
never  done  one  thing  wrong,  and  she  knew  he 
was  the  Son  of  God.  Jesus  was  sorry  to  see 
his  mother's  grief. 

John  had  come  to  the  cross,  and  he  stood 
near  by  Mary.  Jesus  looked  at  John,  and 
said,  Let  my  mother  be  your  mother ;  and  he 
looked  at  his  mother,  and  said,  Let  John  be 
your  son.  So  John  took  Mary  to  be  his  mother 
and  live  with  him.  Jesus  loved  his  mother, 
and  thought  of  her  when  he  was  dying. 

Jesus  was  full  of  pain,  and  it  was  very  hot. 
He  said,  I  thirst;  and  the  soldiers  took  a 
sponge  and  dipped  it  in  vinegar,  and  put  it  on 
a  stick,  and  gave  it  to  Jesus. 

Jesus  just  tasted  the  vinegar,  and  said,  It 


156  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

is  finished;  and  then  he  died.  His  spirit 
went  to  his  Father,  but  his  body  hung  upon 
the  cross. 

It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when 
Jesus  died.  He  had  been  nailed  to  the  cross 
six  hours.  But  before  Jesus  died,  God  had 
made  it  very  dark,  to  show  he  was  angry  with 
the  wicked  people.  And  God  had  made  the 
earth  shake,  and  the  people  were  frightened , 
and  when  Jesus  was  dead,  some  of  them  said, 
This  must  have  been  the  Son  of  God. 

Mary  beheld  one  dying  there, 
Whom  in  her  arms  she  once  did  bear, 

And  to  her  bosom  press. 
On  her  he  cast  his  pitying  eye ; 
For  who  shall  now  his  place  supply. 

And  cheer  her  loneliness  ? 

The  loving  John  shall  be  her  son, 
And  cherish  her,  till  life  is  done, 

Within  his  humble  home ) 
And  oft  together  they  shall  speak 
Of  Him  who,  once  despised  and  weak, 

At  last  in  clouds  shall  come. 

0  gentle  Lord,  how  great  the  love 
Which  made  thy  tender  pity  move 

E'en  in  the  hour  of  death  ! 
0  let  me  show  my  parents  dear 
The  same  kind  love,  and  thoughtful  care, 

Until  their  latest  breath. 


THE   SOLDIERS.  157 


LESSON  XLIII. 


THE    SOLDIERS. 
John  19:32-37. 

At  last  the  soldiers  came  to  see  if  Jesus  and 
the  two  thieves  were  dead,  that  they  might 
bury  them  before  night.  The  soldiers  looked 
at  one  thief,  and  they  saw  he  was  not  dead,  so 
they  broke  his  legs,  and  that  killed  him.  Then 
they  looked  at  the  other  thief,  and  they  saw 
he  was  not  dead,  so  they  broke  his  legs.  Then 
they  looked  at  Jesus,  and  they  saw  he  was 
dead,  so  they  did  not  break  his  legs ;  but  one 
of  the  soldiers  took  a  long  stick  with  a  sharp 
point  at  the  end,  called  a  spear,  and  put  it  in 
his  side :  and  out  of  his  side  blood  and  water 
came  flowing  upon  the  ground.  John  was 
standing  near,  and  he  saw  the  blood  poured 
out.  Do  you  remember  how  Jesus,  at  supper, 
the  night  before,  had  poured  wine  into  a  cup, 
and  said,  This  is  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for 
sinners  ? 

Now  his  blood  was  poured  out. 

The  spear  made  a  hole  in  Jesus'  side.  There 
was  a  hole  in  his  side,  and  a  hole  in  each  hand, 


158  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

and  a  hole  in  each  foot ;  and  his  forehead  was 
pricked  with  thorns,  and  his  eyes  had  shed 
many  tears,  and  blood  had  come  from  his  skin. 
All  this  he  suffered  for  us,  that  Grod  might 
forgive  us  our  sins. 

u  Yes,  he  is  surely  dead," 

The  cruel  soldier  said ; 

Then  pierced  the  Saviour's  side. 

Behold,  a  mingled  tide 
Of  blood  and  water  flowing  from  the  wound, 
Covered  with  crimson  stains  Golgotha's  ground ! 

The  loving  John  was  near ; 

He  saw  the  soldier's  spear 

Bring  forth  that  wondrous  flood 

Of  water  and  of  blood; 
And  well  remembered  how  his  Master  said, 
He  came  for  sinful  man  his  blood  to  shed. 

The  blood  that  flowed  that  day 

Long  since  has  passed  away ; 

But  still  there  flows  a  stream — 

Though  by  all  eyes  unseen — 
For  those  that  trust  the  blood  on  Calvary  spilt; 
And  in  that  stream  their  souls  are  washed  from  guilt. 

And  does  it  flow  for  me  ? 

And  can  I  washed  be  ? 

For  oft  my  soul  has  been 

Spotted  and  stained  with  sin. 
Mercy  I  ask,  because  my  Saviour  died ; 
And  thus,  as  by  a  stream,  I'm  purified. 


THE    GRAVE.  159 

LESSON  XLIV. 

THE   GRAVE. 
John  19:38,  to  end;  Luke  23:55,  56;  Matthew  27:60- 

There  was  once  a  rich  man  who  loved  Jesus  ,* 
his  name  was  Joseph — not  Mary's  husband, 
but  another  Joseph,  called  Joseph  of  Arima- 
thea — he  had  a  garden,  and  in  the  garden  he 
had  made  a  tomb.  Perhaps  he  meant  to  be 
buried  there  himself  when  he  came  to  die. 

But  now  Joseph  thought,  I  should  like  to 
put  the  Lord  Jesus  in  my  tomb.  It  was  a 
very  nice  tomb,  and  no  one  had  ever  been  put 
there  yet. 

So  Joseph  went  to  Pontius  Pilate,  and  said, 
1 1  want  the  dead  body  of  Jesus ;  may  I  take  it 
down  from  the  cross,  and  keep  it  myself? 

And  Pilate  said,  Yes,  you  may  have  it. 

Then  Joseph  was  glad.  He  brought  some 
nice  white  clean  linen.  What  do  you  think 
that  was  for  ?  To  wrap  Jesus  in.  And  he 
brought  some  spices — sweet-smelling  things 
that  grow  out  of  the  ground — and  he  brought 
some  men  with  him,  and  they  took  the  nails 
out  of  Jesus'  hands  and  feet,  and  took  his  body 


160  THE  PEET  OF  DAY. 

down  from  the  cross.  Then  Joseph  wrapped 
a  cloth  round  his  head,  and  another  cloth  round 
his  waist,  and  he  put  sweet  spices  on  him ; 
and  then  some  men  carried  him  along  to  Jo- 
seph's garden. 

In  the  garden  there  was  a  tomb  hewn  out 
in  a  rock  ;  and  they  went  into  this  tomb,  and 
there  they  laid  Jesus  down  quite  alone.  Now 
he  was  at  rest ;  he  felt  no  pain,  no  sorrow ; 
the  wicked  people  were  not  near ;  and  there 
lay  the  Lord  in  his  quiet  grave.  The  men 
took  a  very  large  stone  and  stopped  up  the 
door  of  the  tomb,  so  that  nobody  could  come 
in.  There  were  trees  and  flowers  near  him 
in  this  sweet  garden,  and  there  were  angels 
there  watching  over  him,  though  no  one  could 
see  them. 

Where  were  the  good  women  who  loved 
Jesus  ? 

They  had  been  looking  at  him  on  the  cross. 
How  they  must  have  wept  when  they  saw  him 
bleed,  and  heard  him  cry  out  to  Grod ! 

The  poor  women  had  seen  the  men  take 
him  down  from  the  cross.  They  had  followed 
the  men  into  the  garden ;  they  had  seen  him 
put  so  carefully  in  his  grave. 


THE   GRAVE.  ]6l 

They  said  to  each  other,  Let  us  get  more 
spices,  and  make  sweet  ointment  to  put  on 
the  Lord  Jesus. 

Joseph  had  put  some  spices  by  him,  but 
they  wanted  to  put  more.  So  they  went 
home  and  made  nice  ointment. 

In  the  cold  grave  the  Saviour's  sleeping, 
While  angels  bright  are  watching  near , 

At  home  his  loving  friends  are  weeping, 
For  they  have  lost  their  Master  dear. 

His  painful  sufferings  now  are  ended; 

His  wounded  body  is  at  rest ; 
His  soul  from  every  ill  defended, 

Reposes  on  his  Father's  breast. 

CHILD. 

Then  when  to  die  the  Lord  shall  call  me, 
0  why  should  I  the  cold  grave  fear  ? 

For  how  should  any  ill  befall  me, 

Since  my  dear  Saviour  once  lav  there  ? 


ftsop  c'f  Xtey.  I  I 


152  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   XLY. 

THE   RESURRECTION. 
Mark  16:1-6;  Luke  24:3-10;  Matthew  28:9,  10. 

One  morning  very  early,  when  Jesus  had 
only  been  dead  two  days,  the  poor  women 
came  into  the  garden.  It  was  not  quite  light 
yet ;  it  was  very  early  in  the  morning. 

As  the  women  walked  along  with  their  oint- 
ment, they  said  to  each  other,  How  shall  we 
get  into  the  tomb?  The  men  put  a  large 
stone  before  it;  the  stone  is  so  big,  we  cannot 
roll  it  away. 

The  women  did  not  know  what  to  do.  At 
last  they  came  to  the  grave,  but  the  stone  was 
rolled  away.  The  women  were  quite  surprised. 
Then  they  were  afraid  some  wicked  people  had 
rolled  it  away,  and  stolen  the  body  of  Jesus. 
This  made  them  very  sad;  they  looked  into 
the  tomb,  and  saw  that  Jesus  was  not  there. 
Soon  they  saw  two  beautiful  angels  standing 
by  them.  Their  faces  were  bright  like  the 
sun,  and  their  clothes  whiter  than  snow. 

The  women  trembled  when  they  saw  the 
angels ;    but   the   angels   spoke   sweetly    and 


THE  RESURRECTION.  1(53 

kindly  to  them,  saying,  Do  not  be  afraid ;  we 
know  that  you  are  looking  for  Jesus.  He  is  not 
here  now;  he  is  alive.  Do  not  you  remember 
how  he  said  he  would  come  to  life  again  ? 

Come,  said  the  angels,  and  look  at  the  place 
where  Jesus  lay.  Then  run  quickly,  and  tell 
his  disciples  that  Jesus  is  alive,  and  that  they 
shall  see  him  very  soon. 

The  women  were  very  glad  indeed ;  they 
ran  quickly  to  tell  the  disciples.  But  as  they 
were  running,  whom  do  you  think  they  saw  ? 
Jesus  himself.  He  did  not  look  as  he  once  had 
looked.  No  tears  were  on  his  cheeks ;  he  was 
not  weak  and  faint  as  when  he  carried  his 
cross ;  he  never  would  be  sick  any  more ;  nor 
would  he  ever  die  again. 

How  pleased  the  women  were  to  see  him ! 
They  knelt  down  on  the  ground,  and  held  his 
feet,  that  he  might  not  go  away,  and  they 
called  hirn  their  Lord  and  their  Grod.  Yet 
still,  they  felt  a  little  afraid ;  but  Jesus  told 
them  not  to  be  afraid.  Gro,  he  said,  and  telT 
my  brothers  that  I  shall  soon  see  them  again. 

"Whom  did  Jesus  call  his  brothers  ? 

His  disciples.  He  had  forgiven  them  fo) 
having  fled  when  the  wicked  men  took  him. 


164  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

The  poor  women  ran,  as  Jesus  had  told 
them,  to  the  disciples,  and  said,  "We  have  seen 
angels ;  we  have  seen  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  is 
walking  about,  and  you  will  see  him  soon.  But 
the  disciples  would  not  believe  them. 

Behold  how  swift  those  women  fly  ! 
Both  fear  and  joy  are  in  their  eye ; 
Ah,  sure  they've  seen  some  glorious  thing, 
Or  haste  some  glorious  news  to  bring. 

An  angel's  voice  they  lately  heard ; 
To  them  the  Lord  has  just  appeared : 
With  fear  their  hearts  are  beating  fast ; 
With  joy  to  tell  the  news  they  haste. 

They  lately  wept  their  dying  Lord ; 
Now  to  their  eyes  he  is  restored : 
He  for  their  sakes  has  shed  his  blood, 
And  now  is  proved  the  Son  of  God. 

I  wonder  not  their  joy  is  great, 
For  what  could  greater  joy  create? 
Have  they  not  found  that  matchless  Friend, 
On  whom  their  hopes  of  heaven  depend  ? 

And  in  their  joys  have  I  no  share  ? 
My  sins  did  he  not  also  bear  ? 
Yes,  'twas  to  save  my  soul  from  pain, 
The  Saviour  died,  and  rose  again. 

Then,  Jesus,  with  my  infant  breath, 
I'll  praise  thy  love,  so  strong  in  death  j 
And  of  thy  glorious  rising  think, 
When  in  the  grave  I  gently  sink. 


MARY  MAGDALENE.  166 

/ 

LESSON  XLYI. 

MARY  MAGDALENE. 
John  20 : 1-19. 

1  have  told  you  of  two  Marys :  Mary,  Jesus' 
mother,  and  anotner  Mary,  the  sister  of  Laza- 
rus. But  there  was  another  still,  called  Mary 
Magdalene.  She  came  very  early  to  the  tomb, 
before  the  other  women  came.  She  looked 
into  the  tomb,  but  saw  no  angels ;  so  she  came 
running  back,  and  told  Peter  and  John  that 
Jesus  was  not  in  his  tomb.  I  am  afraid,  said 
Mary  Magdalene,  that  some  wicked  people 
have  taken  him  away,  and  that  we  shall  not 
be  able  to  find  him. 

So  Peter  and  John  began  to  run  as  fast  as 
they  could ;  but  John  came  to  the  tomb  first. 
He  stooped  down,  and  looked  in,  and  saw  the 
clothes  lying  in  the  grave. 

Soon  after  Peter  came,  and  he  went  down 
into  the  tomb,  and  saw  the  clothes  neatly 
folded,  and  the  cloth  that  was  round  Jesus' 
head  lying  in  a  place  by  itself.  Then  John 
went  in  too ;  and  John  thought  of  what  Jesus 
had  said  about  being  alive  again. 


166  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

It  was  all  true,  thought  John;  he  is  alive, 
and  has  left  his  tomb. 

Then  Peter  and  John  came  out  of  the  tomb, 
and  went  to  their  own  house ;  but  they  saw 
no  angels,  nor  did  they  see  Jesus. 

Where  was  Mary  Magdalene  all  this  time  ? 

She  was  standing  outside  the  tomb  crying ; 
she  was  quite  alone ;  for  Peter  and  John  were 
gone  home.  N 

At  last  she  stooped  down  and  looked  into 
the  tomb,  and  she  saw  a  beautiful  sight.  Two 
angels,  one  sitting  where  Jesus'  head  had  been, 
and  one  where  his  feet  had  been. 

The  angels  said  to  Mary,  Why  do  you  cry  ? 
But  still  she  went  on  crying,  and  said,  Some 
wicked  people  have  taken  away  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  I  cannot  find  him. 

When  she  had  said  this,  she  heard  a  man 
behind  her,  saying,  Why  do  you  cry  ? 

She  did  not  know  who  it  was  that  spoke; 
she  thought  he  might  be  the  gardener.  If  you 
have  taken  him,  said  she,  tell  me  where  you 
have  put  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away. 

The  man  said,  Mary.  She  knew  that  voice, 
and  turning  round,  she  looked,  and  saw  that  it 
was  Jesus.     How  glad  she  was  to  see  her  Lord 


MARY  MAGDALENE.  1G7 

and  Master,  whom  she  loved.  But  Jesus  could 
not  stay  with  her.  He  told  her  to  go  and  tell 
his  dear  disciples  that  he  was  alive.  He  said, 
I  am  soon  going  up  to  my  Father  in  heaven ; 
Dut  I  shall  see  my  disciples  first. 

Mary  Magdalene  came  and  told  the  disci-, 
pies.  They  were  all  crying ;  but  they  would 
not  believe  what  Mary  said. 

Mary  was  glad  that  she  had  gone  to  look  for 
Jesus.  She  was  the  first  of  all  the  people  who 
saw  Jesus  after  he  was  alive  again. 

And  why  is  Mary  full  of  fears  ? 

Her  eye — why  so  bedimmed  with  tears, 

While  gazing  on  that  grave  ? 
She  cannot  find  the  body  there, 
Of  one  who  lives,  who 's  standing  near, 

Whose  arm  from  death  can  save. 

"  Why  weepest  thou  ?"  the  Saviour  cries ; 
"  I've  lost  my  Lord,"  she  quick  replies, 

And  thinks  not  it  is  he. 
He  speaks  again  •  his  voice  she  knows, 
And  now  her  heart  with  joy  o'erflows, 

Her  dearest  Lord  to  see. 

His  breathless  clay  she  lately  sought 
Within  the  tomb,  and  little  thought 

Of  this  supreme  delight. 
O,  vain  were  all  her  anxious  fears, 
And  vain  were  all  her  bitter  tears, 

That  flowed  both  day  and  mght. 


168  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

And  is  not  he  for  ever  near, 
Although  his  voice  we  cannot  hear, 

Nor  see  his  glorious  face  ? 
Yes ',  over  us  his  wings  are  spread, 
And  blessings  still  are  gently  shed, 

For  he  fills  every  place. 

The  day  shall  come  when,  in  the  skiee, 
We  shall  behold  Him  with  our  eyes, 

And  know  as  we  are  known ; 
But  while  we  wait  for  that  sweet  day, 
We'll  wipe  our  bitter  tears  away, 

Since  we  are  not  alone. 


THE  TWO  FRIENDS.  169 

LESSON   XLYII. 

THE    TWO  FRIENDS. 
Luke  24:1-43. 

It  was  early  in  the  morning  that  the  women 
went  to  look  for  Jesus. 

In  the  evening  two  good  men  were  taking 
a  walk  together  into  the  country.  As  they 
wTalked,  they  talked  about  Jesus.  They  did 
not  know  he  was  alive.  They  talked  about 
his  dying  on  the  cross.  It  made  them  very 
sad  to  speak  about  it.  At  last  a  man  came 
and  spoke  to  them ;  they  thought  he  was  a 
stranger,  yet  he  seemed  to  be  a  kind  man. 

He  said,  "Why  do  you  cry  ?  I  see  you  are 
talking  of  something  very  sad. 

Yes,  said  these  good  men,  we  are  talking  ol 
something  sad.  Did  you  never  hear  of  Jesus  ? 
what  wonderful  things  he  did ;  how  he  cured 
the  blind,  and  dumb,  and  sick ;  how  he  taught 
people  about  God  ?  all  the  people  loved  him ; 
but  at  last  he  was  crucified.  We  thought  he 
was  the  Son  of  God ;  but  now  we  are  afraid 
he  was  not,  for  he  is  dead,  and  we  are  afraid 
that  we  shall  never  see  him  again. 


170  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY". 

The  kind  stranger  was  sorry  to  see  these 
good  men  cry.  He  began  to  talk  to  them,  and 
said,  "Why  should  not  Jesus  be  the  Son  of 
God  ?  Have  you  not  read  in  the  Bible  how 
God  said  his  Son  should  be  brought  like  a 
lamb  to  the  slaughter  ?  He  has  died  as  was 
said,  and  he  must  come  to  life  again,  and  go 
back  to  his  Father. 

This  kind  stranger  said  a  great  deal  more. 
He  knew  all  the  verses  in  the  Bible,  and  told 
these  men  a  great  many  things  they  did  not 
know.  They  liked  to  listen  to  the  stranger ; 
they  did  not  feel  so  sad  while  he  was  talking. 

At  last  these  men  came  to  their  stopping 
place ;  it  was  in  the  country.  The  stranger 
seemed  as  if  he  was  going  on ;  but  the  two 
good  men  said  to  him,  Pray,  stay  with  us ;  it 
is  getting  dark.  Come  and  sup  with  us,  and 
sleep  here :  pray,  do  come  in. 

The  stranger  said,  Yes,  I  will. 

The  men  went  into  a  room  where  there  was 
a  supper.  They  all  three  sat  down  round  the 
table.  The  stranger  took  some  bread  and 
broke  it,  and  began  to  pray  to  God ;  and  then 
the  two  men  knew  who  the  stranger  was. 

It  is  the  Lord  !  they  cried ;  and  so  it  was. 


THE   TWO  FB.IENDS  171 

They  looked  towards  him,  but  they  could  see 
him  no  more.  He  opened  not  the  door,  but 
yet  he  was  gone. 

Then  the  men  thought  of  all  that  Jesus  had 
said.  How  sweetly  he  talked  to  us !  they 
said ;  did  not  we  feel  our  hearts  quite  warm 
while  he  was  speaking  about  the  Bible,  and 
telling  us  the  meaning  ? 

Do  you  think  these  men  went  to  bed  that 
night  ?  0  no  ;  they  could  not  sleep.  Let  us 
go,  said  they,  and  tell  the  disciples  about  our 
seeing  Jesus.  They  walked  quickly  and  soon 
came  to  Jerusalem. 

The  disciples  were  all  .shut  up  in  a  room 
together,  and  they  had  locked  the  doors  to  pre- 
vent the  wicked  people  getting  in;  but  they 
let  these  good  men  come  in. 

"We  have  seen  Jesus,  said  these  good  men ; 
he  has  walked  with  us,  and  talked  with  us ; 
but  we  did  not  know  him,  till  he  sat  down 
with,  us  at  supper,  and  broke  some  bread,  and 
gave  thanks  to  his  Father.  And  the  disciples 
said,  Some  women  have  seen  him  too,  and 
Feter  has  seen  him. 

But  while  they  were  talking  about  Jesus, 
they  looked   and  saw  Jesus  standing  in  the 


172  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

middle  of  the  room.  He  had  not  opened  the 
door,  but  there  he  stood. 

How  do  you  think  the  disciples  felt  ?  They 
were  frightened ;  they  could  not  believe  that 
it  was  indeed  Jesus  himself. 

Jesus  spoke  kindly  to  them.  Do  not  be 
afraid,  he  said ;  it  is  your  own  Master  that 
you  see.  Look,  he  said,  at  my  hands.  See 
the  holes  that  the-  nails  made.  Look  too  at 
my  feet ;  see  these  holes  :  and  then  he  showed 
them  his  side,  and  the  mark  the  spear  had  made. 
Now  do  you  believe,  said  Jesus,  that  it  is  1 
myself? 

Then  the  disciples  saw  that  it  was  their 
own  dear  Master.  They  were  glad,  very  glad 
to  see  him ;  they  had  been  mourning  ever 
since  they  had  lost  him.  They  saw  that  he 
had  forgiven  them  for  having  run  away.  He 
said  nothing  to  them  about  it :  he  had  even 
forgiven  Peter.  He  knew  that  Peter  loved 
him,  and  that  he  was  very  sorry. 

Then  Jesus  said,  I  will  eat,  to  show  you 
that  I  am  alive.  What  have  you  to  eat?  Sa 
the  disciples  brought  him  a  piece  of  fish  and 
some  honey,  and  Jesus  sat  down  and  ate.  ' 

Then  afterwards  he  talked  to  them,  and  told 


THE    TWO  FRIENDS.  173 

them  why  he  had  died,  and  that  he  was  going 
back  to  his  Father  to  pray  for  them. 

That  was  a  pleasant  night  for  the  poor  dis- 
ciples. It  was  not  like  that  sad  night  when 
Jesus  was  so  sorrowful  in  the  garden.  His 
sorrows  were  over,  and  he  never  would  feel 
pain  any  more. 

There  are  but  three  around  that  table  met  j 
JTis  their  last  meal,  for  now  the  sun  has  set. 
One  breaks  the  bread.     I  know  that  lovely  face, 
That  voice — but  lo,  he 's  vanished  from  the  place. 

"  Was  it  an  angel  ?     No ;  it  was  the  Lord. 
He  lives  again.     He  is  to  us  restored." 
#      What  joy  now  fills  those  hearts  that  late  were  filled 
With  fears  !    Ah,  now  for  ever,  ever  stilled. 

"  Well  might  our  hearts  burn  in  us  by  the  way, 
While  Jesus  spake,"  the  fond  disciples  say; 
"  How  sweet  was  his  discourse  !  we  little  thought 
That  it  was  he.     How  strange  we  knew  him  not ! 

"  But  stranger  far  that  we  did  not  believe 
That  he  would  rise  again  !  could  He  deceive  ? 
Ono;  he  is  the  faithful  and  the  true, 
And  what  he  says  he  evermore  will  do." 

CHILD. 
Were  these  their  thoughts  ?  And  such  too  will  be  mine, 
When  I  in  glory  see  my  Saviour  shine ; 
For  though  I  know  he  ever  lives  to  save, 
I  sometimes  doubt  his  word,  and  fear  the  grave. 


174  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   XLYIII. 

THOMAS. 
John  20 : 24  to  the  end. 

You  have  heard  how  the  disciples  saw  Jesus 
in  the  evening.  Now  one  of  the  disciples  was 
not  there  when  Jesus  came.  His  name  was 
Thomas.    I  do  not  know  why  he  was  not  there. 

When  the  disciples  saw  Thomas  next,  they 
said  to  him,  "We  have  seen  Jesus.  On  Sunday 
night  we  saw  him.  He  came  into  the  room 
as  we  were  sitting  together,  and  he  spoke  to 
us.  We  are  sure  it  was  Jesus  himself,  because 
he  showed  us  the  marks  of  the  nails  in  his 
hands  and  feet,  and  the  hole  in  his  side  where 
the  spear  went  in. 

But  Thomas  would  not  believe  the  disciples. 
He  said,  I  do  not  think  you  saw  Jesus  him- 
self. He  died  upon  the  cross.  I  never  will 
believe,  unless  I  put  my  fingers  into  the  marks 
of  the  nails,  and  put  my  hand  into  the  hole  in 
his  side. 

It  was  very  wrong  in  Thomas  to  speak  in 
this  way.  He  should  have  remembered  that 
Jesus  had  promised  to  be  alive  again. 


THOMAS.  1~5 

Jesus  heard  Thomas  speak,  though  Thomas 
could  not  see  him.  But  Jesus  was  always 
with  the  disciples,  and  heard  all  they  said, 
because  he  is  God. 

Next  Sunday  evening  the  disciples  were  in 
a  room  together.  Thomas  was  there  too.  The 
doors  were  locked  to  keep  the  wicked  people 
out ;  but  the  disciples  knew  that  Jesus  could 
come  in.  And  he  did  come.  They  saw  him 
standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  He 
spoke  kindly  to  them,  and  said,  Peace  be  unto 
you! 

Then  he  spoke  to  Thomas.  Come,  he  said 
to  Thomas,  here  are  my  hands,  put  your  fin- 
ger into  the  marks ;  and  here  is  the  hole  in 
my  side,  put  your  hand  in  it. 

Now  Thomas  knew  that  Jesus  had  heard 
him  speak  so  wickedly  :  he  felt  ashamed  and 
sorry.  He  saw  it  was  Jesus  himself,  and  he 
cried  out,  My  Lord  and  my  God ! 

Then  Jesus  said  to  Thomas,  Now  you  have 
seen,  you  believe.  Blessed  are  they  who  have 
not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed. 

Jesus  forgave  Thomas  for  what  he  had  said, 
because  Thomas  really  loved  Jesus. 


176  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

"  And  can  the  Lord  be  risen  ?" 
The  doubting  Thomas  said ; 

"  And  has  he  broke  the  prison 
Where  lately  he  was  laid  ? 

Unless  I  feel,  unless  I  see, 

I  never  can  believe  'tis  he." 

"  Come,  feel  these  wounded  places," 
Jesus  to  Thomas  said ; 

f  Come,  see  the  certain  traces 
Of  blood  that  I  have  shed. 

Behold,  I  stand  before  your  eye ; 

0  do  you  now  believe  'tis  I  ?" 

CHILD. 
My  Lord,  thou  still  art  living, 

And  clothed  in  white  array, 
The  Holy  Spirit  giving 

To  all  who  humbly  pray ; 
And  though  I  neither  feel  nor  see, 

1  still  believe  that  thou  art  he. 


THE   DINNER.  177 

LESSON   XLIX. 

THE   DINNER. 
John  21 : 1-19. 

Jesus  told  his  disciples  to  go  a  great  way 
into  the  country,  and  he  said,  I  will  come  and 
see  you  again.  So  the  disciples  went  away 
from  Jerusalem  into  the  country.  They  came 
to  the  place  where  they  had  once  lived  by  the 
water-side.  They  had  some  little  ships  on  the 
water,  and  they  used  to  catch  fish  when  they 
were  in  the  ships. 

One  night  Peter  said  to  the  disciples,  I 
snail  go  and  fish;  and  the  disciples  said,  We 
will  go  with  you.  So  they  got  into  a  little 
ship,  and  all  night  long  they  tried  to  catch 
fish,  but  they  could  not  catch  any.  They 
were  tired  and  hungry. 

At  last  it  was  morning,  and  they  looked  up, 
and  saw  a  man  standing  near  the  water ;.  they 
did  not  know  who  the  man  was. 

The  man  called  out  to  them,  and  said,  Chil- 
dren, have  you  any  thing  to  eat  ? 

The  poor  disciples  said,  No ;  for  they  had 
caught  no  fish  all  night. 

Peep  of  Day.  12 


178  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

The  man  said,  Let  down  your  net  on  the 
right  side  of  the  ship,  and  you  shall  find  some 
fish. 

They  did  as  the  man  told  them,  and  they 
caught  such  a  number  of  fishes  in  the  net, 
that  they  could  hardly  lift  it  out  of  the 
water. 

Now  John  found  out  who  the  man  was :  he 
said  to  Peter,  It  is  the  Lord. 

Peter  was  very  glad,  and  he  jumped  into 
the  water,  and  swam  first  to  Jesus.  The  other 
disciples  came  soon  after  in  their  little  ship 
with  their  nets  and  their  fishes.  Jesus  knew 
that  they  were  tired  and  hungry.  By  the 
water-side  there  was  a  fire  of  coals,  and  sonle 
fish  on  the  fire,  and  some  bread.  How  kind 
was  Jesus  to  give  some  food  to  his  poor  hun- 
gry disciples ! 

Jesus  said  to  them,  Bring  the  fish  that  you 
have  caught.  So  Peter  went  and  took  up  the 
net,  and  found  it  full  of  great  fishes :  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three. 

This  was  a  great  miracle  that  Jesus  had 
done.  Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  Come  and 
dine.  So  they  all  sat  down  to  dine  together. 
Then  Jesus  took  the  bread,  and  gave  some  to 


THE  DINNER  179 

each,  and  lie  took  the  fish  and  gave  some  of 
it  to  each. 

Now  the  disciples  were  quite  sure  that  it 
was  Jesus  who  was  feeding  them.  This  was 
the  way  they  had  dined  together  before  Jesus 
had  died ;  and  now  he  was  alive,  they  dined 
together  again :  but  they  knew  he  was  not 
going  to  stay  long  with  them. 

"When  they  had  all  finished  eating,  Jesus* 
said  to  Peter,  Do  you  love  me  ? 

Peter  said,  Yes,  Lord;  you  know  that  1 
love  you. 

Then  Jesus  said,  Feed  my  lambs;  that  is, 
teach  other  people  to  love  me.  Gro  and  tell 
people  about  my  dying  for  them. 

You,  my  little  children,  are  like  Christ's 
lambs,  and  I  feed  you  when  I  talk  to  you 
about  Christ.  I  feed  your  souls,  and  try  to 
keep  them  from  hell. 

Peter  did  love  Jesus,  and  Jesus  knew  he 
did.  Yet  Jesus  said  again,  Do  you  love  me  ? 
Peter  said  again,  Lord,  you  know  I  love  you. 
Then  Jesus  said,  Feed  my  sheep. 

Jesus  asked  Peter  once  more  the  same 
thing  :  Do  you  love  me  ? 

Peter  was  grieved  because  Jesus  asked  the 


J.SO  THE   PEE"P  OF  DAY. 

third  time  It  made  him  very  sorry.  He 
said,  Lord,'  you  know  every  thing.  You  know- 
that  I  love  you. 

Jesus  said  again,  Feed  my  sheep. 

If  Peter  loved  Jesus,  he  would  do  what 
Jesus  bid  him,  and  go  and  teach  people. 

Do  you  love  Jesus,  my  little  children? 
What  would  you  answer  if  Jesus  said  to  you, 
Do  you  love  me  ?  Could  you  say  to  Jesus, 
Look  into  my  heart  and  you  will  see  that  I 
love  you  ?  If  you  really  do  love  him,  you  will 
hate  lies  and  bad  passions,  and  you  will  try  to 
be  kind  and  gentle,  and  to  speak  truth. 

Why  did  Jesus  ask  Peter  so  often  whether , 
he  loved  him?     Why  did  he  ask  him  three 
times  over  ? 

Peter  had  said  he  did  not  know  Jesus  three 
times  over.  So  Jesus  wanted  to  hear  him  say 
he  loved  him  three  times  over. 

Then,  Jesus  told  Peter  what  would  happen 
to  him  when  he  was  old.  Jesus  said  to  Peter, 
When  you  were  young,  you  walked  about 
where  you  liked ;  but  when  you  are  old,  some 
men  will  take  you,  and  stretch  out  your  hands, 
and  carry  you  where  you  do  not  like  to  go. 

Jesus  meant  that  Peter  would  be  crucified  : 


THE  DINNER.  1S1 

men  would  stretch  out  his  hands  on  a  cross, 
and  nail  him,  as  they  had  done  Jesus.  Wick- 
ed people  would  crucify  Peter,  because  he  loved 
Jesus ;  but  Peter  would  never  say  again  that 
he  did  not  know  Jesus. 

Peter  was  not  proud  now  as  he  used  to  be. 
And  Peter  would  pray  to  God  to  keep  him 
from  sin. 

Deaxh  has  not  changed  the  Saviour's  heart . 
Beheld  those  pierced  hands  impart 

The  food  they  have  prepared ; 
While  seven  disciples  sit  around. 
Joying  that  they  the  Friend  have  found 

For  whom  they  fondly  cared. 

He  was  as  ready  to  forgive, 

As  when  with  them  he  used  to  live, 

Before  his  cruel  death ; 
For  they  had  fled  when  he  was  tried, 
And  Peter  had  his  Lord  denied 

With  most  unfaithful  "breath. 

The  Lord  well  knew  love  now  inspired 
His  bosom ;  yet  three  times  inquired, 

"  Simon,  dost  thou  love  me  ?" 
And  Peter  said,  "  0  thou  alone, 
To  whom  all  things  are  fully  known, 

Thou  know'st  that  I  love  thee." 

And  "by  what  sign  his  faithful  love, 
Shall  Peter  to  his  Saviour  prove  ? 
u  Go,  feed  my  lambs  and  sheep." 


182  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY 

And  gladly  this  will  Peter  do, 
That  others  may  be  pardoned  too 
And  taught  from  sin  to  keep. 

0  happy  they  who  truly  can 
Entreat  the  Lord  their  heart  to  scan, 
And  see  their  faithful  love ; 
And  happy  they  who  still  obey 
His  sweet  commands,  and  what  they  say 
By  faithful  actions  prove. 

0  blessed  Lord,  to  whom  alone 
My  sinful  heart  is  fully  known, 

Thou  know'st  if  I  love  thee. 
Increase  my  love ;  for  well  I  know 
My  fondest  love  I  should  bestow 

On  him  who  died  for  me. 


THE  ASCENSION.  183 

LESSON  L. 

THE   ASCENSION. 
Matthew  9£     6,  to  end  ;  Ltjke  24 :  46,  to  end  ;  Acts  1 :  4-15. 

Jesus  i?sed  to  come  and  see  his  disciples 
after  he  was  made  alive  again ;  but  he  did  not 
live  all  the  time  with  them,  as  he  once  had 
done. 

He  told  them  he  was  soon  going  up  to  his 
Father.  When  I  am  gone,  you  must  tell  peo- 
ple about  me.  You  must  tell  the  wicked  peo- 
ple who  crucified  me,  and  tell  all  men  that  I 
will  forgive  them  if  they  are  sorry  for  their 
sins.  I  will  send  down  my  Holy  Spirit  from 
heaven,  and  you  shall  do  miracles  as  I  have 
done.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  wicked  people ;  I 
will  always  be  with  you,  though  you  do  not 
see  me.     By  and  by  I  shall  come  back  again. 

The  disciples  asked  Jesus  when  he  would 
come  back ;  but  Jesus  would  not  tell  them 
when. 

One  day  Jesus  and  his  disciples  walked  to- 
gether to  the  top  of  a  hill.  Jesus  began  to 
pray  with  his  disciples,  and  he  lifted  up  his 
hands  and  blessed  them.     While  he  was  doing 


184  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

this,  he  was  taken  up  by  his  heavenly  Father, 
and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight. 
The  disciples  still  looked  up,  and  saw  the 
cloud  go  higher  and  higher,  till  they  could  see 
it  no  more.  But  still  they  kept  on  looking. 
Then  they  heard  some  person  speaking  to 
them  ;  they  looked  to  see  who  it  was,  and  they 
saw  two  angels  standing  by  them.  The  an- 
gels were  dressed  in  white  shining  clothes. 
They  said,  Why  do  you  look  so  long  at  the 
sky  ?  Jesus  will  come  again  some  day  in  the 
clouds.  So  the  disciples  went  back  to  Jeru- 
salem. 

Perhaps  you  think  they  were  very  unhappy, 
now  Jesus  was  gone.  No,  they  were  not. 
They  knew  he  was  gone  to  get  a  place  in 
heaven  ready  for  them,  and  that  they  should 
live  with  him  for  ever,  and  this  made  them 
glad. 

Blessed  Lord,  I  see  thee  praying, 

While  thy  friends  around  thee  stand : 

Clouds  I  see  thy  form  conveying 
To  thy  Father's  own  right  hand. 

Angels  now  thy  friends  are  cheering 
With  bright  hopes  of  thy  return : 

Looking  for  thy  sweet  appearing, 

Why  should  they  thine  absence  mourn  ? 


THE   ASCENSION.  l$ft 

CHILD. 

Art  thou,  Lord,  for  me  preparing 

In  thy  Father's  house  a  place  ? 
Thy  sweet  prayers  I  would  be  sharing, 

Lest  I  should  forsake  thy  ways. 

Saviour  dear,  I  beg  to  see  thee 

On  the  clouds  in  glory  ride, 
From  all  sorrow  come  to  free  me, 

And  to  place  me  by  thy  side. 


186  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 


LESSON   LI. 


PETER  IN  PRISON. 
Acts  2;  12:1-23. 

What  had  Jesus  told  his  disciples  to  do 
when  he  had  gone  back  to  his  Father  ? 

To  tell  the  wicked  people  at  Jerusalem  that 
Christ  would  forgive  them,  if  they  were  sorry 
for  their  sins. 

The  disciples  said  to  the  wicked  people  at 
Jerusalem,  that  Christ  would  forgive  them,  if 
they  were  sorry  for  their  sins. 

The  disciples  said  to  the  wicked  people,  You 
have  crucified  the  Son  of  G-od.  He  is  alive, 
and  is  gone  up  to  sit  on  his  Father's  throne ; 
but  he  will  forgive  you. 

Some  of  the  wicked  people  were  sorry  for 
what  they  had  done  to  Jesus,  and  begged  God 
to  forgive  them ;  and  some  of  the  wicked  peo- 
ple were  not  sorry,  but  tried  to  kill  the  disci- 
ples. 

A  wicked  king  cut  off  the  head  of  James 
with  a  sword,  and  then  shut  up  Peter  in  pris- 
on, meaning  to  kill  him  soon. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  prison  ? 


PETER  IN  PRISON.  187 

It  is  a  dark  place,  with  great  doors  and  bars, 
and  walls  all  around. 

Some  soldiers  took  Peter,  and  put  chains  on 
his  hands,  and  chains  on  his  feet,  and  they 
locked  the  door  of  the  prison,  and  stood  by 
the  door,  that  no  one  might  get  out  or  in. 

Peter's  friends  were  very  unhappy  because 
he  was  in  prison ;  but  they  could  not  take  him 
out.  Yet  there  was  one  thing  they  could  do ; 
they  could  pray  to  God  to  save  Peter,  and  so 
they  did.  Peter's  friends  sat  up  at  night,  and 
prayed  to  God. 

The  wicked  king  said,  To-morrow  I  shall 
have  Peter  killed.  But  Grod  would  not  let 
Peter  be  killed.  So  God  told  one  of  his  beau- 
tiful angels  to  go  and  let  Peter  out  of  the 
prison.  The  angel  could  go  into  the  prison 
without  opening  the  doors. 

It  was  night  when  the  angel  came.  Peter 
was  asleep.  On  each  side  of  him  there  was  a 
soldier,  and  on  each  of  his  hands  there  was  a 
chain.  You  would  not  like  to  sleep  in  a  prison 
with  soldiers  near  you,  and  chains  on  your 
hands ;  but  Peter  knew  that  God  loved  him, 
and  that  he  was  safe. 

So  the  angel  came.    It  was  dark  in  the  prison 


J  88  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

Could  Peter  see  the  angel  ? 

Yes ;  for  the  angel  was  bright  like  the  sun, 
and  made  the  prison  light. 

The  angel  touched  Peter  on  the  side,  and 
lifted  him  up,  and  the  chains  fell  off  Peter's 
hands. 

He  told  Peter  to  put  on  his  clothes.  And 
Peter  did  so.  Then  said  the  angel,  Follow  me. 
So  the  angel  walked  first,  and  Peter  followed 
him.  They  went  through  the  prison  ;  but  the 
soldiers  did  not  see  Peter  go  out,  for  Grod 
made  them  sleep.  Peter  was  quite  surprised ; 
he  thought  he  was  dreaming,  and  that  he  did 
not  see  a  real  angel. 

At  last  they  came  to  a  great  iron  gate.  It 
was  fast  locked ;  but  the  angel  took  no  key  to 
open  it.  It  opened  of  itself,  and  let  Peter  and 
the  angel  go  through. 

Now  they  were  in  the  street.  Still  the 
angel  went  on,  and  Peter  came  after  him ; 
but  they  did  not  speak  a  word. 

All  the  people  were  asleep,  and  did  not  know 
that  a  bright  angel  was  walking  in  the  street. 
The  angel  only  walked  down  one  street,  and 
then  he  went  back  to  heaven,  and  left  Peter 
standing  alone  in  the  street,-  in  the  dark. 


PETER  IN  PRISON.  189 

Peter  stood  some  time  thinking  to  himself, 
What  a  wonderful  thing  has  happened !  I  was 
shut  up  in  prison,  but  God  has  sent  his  angel 
to  let  me  out.  The  king  meant  to  kill  me  to- 
morrow, but  now  I  shall  not  be  killed. 

I  know  that  Peter  thanked  Grod  for  his  kind- 
ness. Peter  did  not  stay  all  night  in  the  street. 
He  went  to  the  house  of  a  good  woman  he 
knew,  and  he  knocked  at  the  door. 

Were  the  people  in  the  house  asleep  ? 

No ;  they  were  all  awake,  though  it  was 
night. 

Why  were  they  not  in  bed? 

This  good  woman  had  heard  how  the  king 
would  kill  Peter  to-morrow ;  so  she  had  sent 
for  her  friends  to  come  and  pray  with  her  for 
Peter,  and  while  they  were  praying  they  heard 
a  knock.  It  was  a  strange  thing  to  hear  a 
knock  in  the  night ;  but  they  never  guessed 
who  it  was. 

Tho  maid  went  to  the  door,  but  she  was 
afraid  to  open  it,  lest  it  should  be  some  of  the 
wicked  people  come  to  kill  the  good  woman 
and  her  friends.  So  she  stopped  at  the  door 
without  opening  it,  to  hear  who  it  was ;  but 
when  she  heard  Peter  speak,  how  happy  she 


190  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

was ;  she  knew  his  voice.  She  did  not  say. 
Are  you  Peter?  She  was  sure  it  was  Peter. 
She  was  so  much  surprised,  that  she  forgot  to 
open  the  door ;  but  ran  back  to  her  mistress 
and  the  rest  of  the  disciples,  and  said,  Peter  is 
standing  before  the  gate.  But  they  said,  No, 
it  cannot  be  Peter  ;  he  is  shut  up  in  prison. 

The  maid  said,  It  is  Peter.  I  am  sure  it  is. 
While  they  were  talking,  Peter  was  standing 
outside,  and  he  went  on  knocking,  because  no- 
body opened  the  door.  So  they  ran  and  open- 
ed the  door,  and  when  they  saw  Peter  they 
were  quite  surprised. 

How  did  you  get  out  of  prison  ?  they  said. 

Then  Peter  made  a  sign  with  his  hand  to 
make  them  all  quiet,  that  he  might  tell  them 
how  he  got  out  of  prison. 

God  sent  an  angel,  said  Peter,  who  brought 
me  out  of  the  prison.  Go  and  tell  all  my 
friends  what  has  happened,  for  I  must  go 
away.  So  Peter  went  away  to  a  place  where 
the  wicked  king  could  not  find  him. 

What  do  you  think  the  soldiers  said  when 
they  could  not  find  Peter  in  the  morning  ? 

They  were  much  frightened  ;  they  saw  his 
chains,  but  not  Peter.     They  found  the  gates 


PETER  IN  TRISON.  19] 

locked ;  they  could  not  think  how  Peter  had 
got  out  of  prison. 

So  the  king  sent  for  Peter.  This  was  the 
day  Peter  was  to  be  killed.  All  the  wicked 
people  in  Jerusalem  were  expecting  to  see  him. 
The  king's  servants  said,  Where  is  Peter  ? 
Bring  him  out.  # 

The  soldiers  answered,  We  cannot  tell  where 
Peter  is ;  he  is  gone. 

The  servants  went  and  told  the  king  that 
Peter  was  not  in  prison.  The  king  was  very 
angry ;  he  said,  Bring  the  soldiers  to  me.  They 
must  have  fallen  asleep. 

"When  the  soldiers  came,  they  could  not  tell 
the  king  how  Peter  had  got  away.  For  God 
had  made  them  sleep  when  the  angel  led  Peter 
away.  The  king  was  in  a  great  rage,  and 
said,  The  .soldiers  must  be  killed. 

What  a  wicked  king  this  was !  He  loved 
to  do  wickedness.  He  was  very  proud,  and 
hated  God,  and  God's  people.  He  fell  into 
passions,  and  only  cared  to  please  himself. 
At  last  Grod  sent  an  angel  to  kill  him,  and 
worms  ate  up  his  flesh  until  he  died. 

God  sent  angels  to  punish  the  wicked,  and 
to  help  people  who  loved  him  as  Peter  did. 


192  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

11  Awake,"  the  angel  cries ;  and  from  the  hands 
Of  wondering  Peter  fall  the  iron  bands ; 
The  gates  fly  open  of  their  own  accord. 
And  Peter  is  to  liberty  restored. 

His  guide  he  follows  through  the  gloom  of  night — 
Where  angels  are,  there  needs  no  other  light ; 
The  angel  7s  gone,  and  Peter,  left  alone, 

Sees  and  admires  the  love  his  God  has  shown. 

* 

At  yonder  gate  he  knocks ;  thence  prayer  ascends, 
.  On  this  sad  night,  from  Peter's  sorrowing  friends  : 
With  glad  surprise  the  maiden  hears  his  voice ; " 
All  round  him  flock,  and  with  one  heart  reioice. 

CHILD. 

So  when  my  body  dies,  shall  angels  guide 

My  happy  soul  to  my  dear  Father's  side : 

To  meet  me  at  the  gate  shall  angels  throng ; 

With  joy  shall  tune  their  harps  and  raise  their  song. 


JOHN  193 

LESSON  LII. 

JOHN. 
Revelation  1 : 9-19 ;  4:1-5;  22. 

Almost  all  the  twelve  disciples  were  killed 
by  wicked  men  at  last.  "When  Peter  was  old, 
some  wicked  men  crucified  him,  because  he 
loved  Jesus.  Now  he  is  in  heaven  with  Jesus, 
clothed  in  a  white  robe,  and  all  his  tears 
wiped  away.  His  dear  Lord  Jesus  is  always 
near  him,  and  this  makes  him  happy. 

John  lived  till  he  was  very  old  indeed. 
A.  wicked  king  took  him,  and  put  him  in  a 
place  by  himself;  not  in  a  prison,  but  in  an 
island,  where  there  were  no  houses,  and  no 
people,  but  there  was  water  all  round  it,  so 
that  John  could  not  get  away. 

Was  John  unhappy  when  he  was  all  alone  ? 

No ;  'God  was  with  him,  and  John  loved  to 
think  of  the  Father,  and  of  his  Son  Jesus. 

It  was  Sunday,  and  John  was  thinking  of 
God,  when  he  heard  a  voice  behind  him,  like 
the  noise  of  a  trumpet,  very  loud  indeed.  He 
turned  round  to  see  who  it  was ;  and  whom 
do  you  think  he  saw  ? 

Peep  of  Day.  13 

.'-■     - 


194  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

The  Lord  Jesus  came  down  from  heaven, 
all  glorious  and  shining.  When  John  saw  him 
he  could  not  speak  or  stand;  he  was  afraid, 
and  he  fell  down  on  the  ground,  as  if  he  were 
dead.  But  Jesus  touched  him  with  his  hand, 
and  said,  Fear  not;  I  am  he  that  liveth  and 
was  dead,  and  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore 
I  am  going  to  show  you  many  things,  and  you 
must  write  down  what  you  see  in  a  book. 
Then  Jesus  took  John  up  into  heaven,  and  an 
angel  showed  him  most  beautiful  things. 

He  saw  a  throne  on  which  God  sat.  There 
was  a  rainbow  round  the  throne.  There  were 
a  great  many  seats,  and  men  sitting  on  them, 
clothed  in  white,  with  crowns  of  gold  on  their 
heads.  The  men  took  off  their  crowns,  and 
threw  them  down  before  the  throne,  and 
praised  Jesus  the  Lamb  .of  God. 

John  saw  a  great  many  angels,  more  than 
he  could  count,  standing  round  the  throne, 
singing  praises  to  the  Lamb. 

But  of  all  the  things  John  saw  in  heaven, 
there  was  nothing  so  glorious  as  God  himself. 

In  heaven  there  is  no  sun  nor  moon;  no 
candle  nor  lamp.  Yet  it  is  always  light,  be- 
cause God  shines  more  brightly  than  the  sun. 


JOHN.  195 

The  music  of  harps  and  sweet  singing  are 
always  to  be  heard ;  for  all  the  angels  can  sing 
the  praises  of  God. 

John  wondered  at  the  things  he  saw  and 
heard;  and  he  fell  down  at  the  feet  of  tho 
angel  who  had  shown  them  to  him. 

But  the  angel  said,  You  must  not  worship 
me ;  I  am  only  a  servant  of  G  od ;  you  must 
worship  God. 

Then  the  angel  went  on  speaking,  and  said, 
Jesus  will  soon  come  down  from  heaven  to 
judge  the  world.  He  will  open  the  gates  of 
heaven  to  let  those  people  in  who  mind  God's 
word ;  but  those  who  tell  lies,  and  do  wicked 
things,  shall  be  shut  out. 

All  people  who  .love  Jesus  wish  him  to  come 
again  in  the  clouds. 

Do  you  wish  to  see  Jesus,  my  little  chil- 
dren? 

Then  you  may  answer,  Even  so,  come,  Lord 
Jesus. 

I  hope  that  when  you  die,  your  spirit  will 
go  to  Jesus,  and  that  when  Jesus  comes  again 
he  will  bring  you  with  him. 

John  wrote  down  in  a  book  the  things  he 
had  seen  in  heaven,  and  now  it  is  in  the  Bible 


196  THE   PEEP  OF   DAY. 

At  last  John  died,  and  his  soul  went  to  God. 
He  is  with  Jesus  now  in  heaven.  He  plays 
on  a  golden  harp,  and  sings  with  the  angels. 
And  when  Jesus  comes  again  in  the  clouds, 
John  will  come  with  him. 

When  John  was  by  the  angel  led 
To  the  bright  world  on  high, 

He  saw  what  joys  await  the  dead 
When  up  to  heaven  they  fly. 

He  saw  them  round  the  Father's  throne, 

Gazing  upon  his  face, 
Singing  to  harps  of  sweetest  tone 

The  praises  of  his  grace. 


Shining,  like  stars  of  morning  bright, 
And  like  the  angels  fair. 

He  saw  the  city  where  they  dwelt, 

Whose  praises  can't  be  told ; 
The  walls  of  precious  stones  were  built, 

The  streets  were  purest  gold. 

He  saw  the  Lamb  whose  blood  was  spilt 

To  give  his  people  rest ; 
With  his  bright  beams  the  place  was  filled, 

And  every  heart  was  blest. 

Charmed  with  the  sight,  John  bent  his  knee 

Before  that  angel  fair  ; 
Who  said,  "  Thou  must  not  worship  me : 

To  Cod  address  thy  prayer." 


john.  197 

CHILD. 

'Tis  God  who  rules  the  angelic  host. 

In  the  fair  world  of  light ; 
;Tis  God  who  shuts  the  spirits  lost 

In  realms  of  endless  night. 

0  let  me  then  this  God  implore. 
To  pardon  all  my  sin. 

And  ope  to  me  the  heavenly  door, 
And  bid  me  enter  in. 

1  know  there  's  room  enough  for  all 

Who  truly  wish  to  come ; 
So  God  I  will  my  Father  call, 
And  that  sweet  place  my  home. 


198  THE   PEEP  OF  DAY. 

LESSON   LI1I. 

THE   JUDGMENT-DAY. 
1  Thessaloxians,  4  :  15-17 ;  Revelation  20 :  11  to  end. 

You  know  that  Jesus  will  come  again  in 
the  clouds. 

Little  children,  do  you  know  when  he  will 
come  ?  Shall  I  tell  you  when  Jesus  will  come  ? 
You  would  like  to  know;  but  I  cannot  tell 
you  when :  I  do  not  know.  The  angels  do 
not  know  what  day  it  will  be.  No  one  knows 
but  Grod.  There  will  be  many  wicked  people 
in  the  world  then ;  and  some  good  people.  An 
angel  will  blow  a  great  trumpet,  and  Jesus 
will  say  to  the  people  who  are  dead,  Come  out 
of  your  graves. 

The  bodies  of  all  the  dead  people  will  come 
out  of  their  graves.  Those  who  love  Christ 
will  be  like  the  angels,  and  will  fly  up  into 
the  air.  Those  who  are  alive  when  Jesus 
comes,  he  will  take  up  into  the  air  to  meet 
him. 

He  will  come  in  the  clouds,  shining  brighter 
than  the  sun,  and  all  the  angels  with  him. 
He  will  sit  upon  a  white  throne,  and  he  will 


the  judgment-day.  199 

wear  a  crown  upon  his  head,  and  every  body 
will  stand  round  his  throne.  He  will  open 
some  books,  in  which  are  written  down  all  the 
wicked  things  that  people  have  done.  God 
has  seen  all  the  wrong  things  you  have  done. 
He  can  see  in  the  dark  as  well  as  in  the  light, 
and  knows  all  your  bad  thoughts.  He  will 
read  every  thing  out  of  his  book  before  the 
angels  that  stand  round.  Yet  God  will  for- 
give some  people,  because  Christ  died  upon 
the  cross  for  them. 

Whom  will  he  forgive  ? 

Those  who  love  Jesus  with  all  their  hearts. 
He  has  written  down  their  names  in  another 
book,  called  the  book  of  life.  He  will  forgive 
their  sins,  wipe  away  their  tears,  and  let  them 
live  with  him  for  ever. 

Do  you  hope  that  Jesus  will  write  down 
your  name  in  his  book  ? 

Ask  him  to  give  you  his  Holy  Spirit.  Then 
you  will  love  Jesus,  and  hate  to  do  wickedly. 

"What  will  Grod  do  to  those  who  do  not  love 
him  ?  Grod  will  put  them  in  a  lake  of  fire, 
called  hell.  There  they  will  gnash  their  teeth, 
and  weep  and  wail  for  ever. 

God  will  put  Satan  in  the  same  place,  and 


200  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

all  the  devils.  Satan  is  the  father  of  the 
wicked,  and  he  and  his  children  will  be  pun- 
ished for  ever.  They  will  not  have  one  drop 
of  water  to  cool  their  burning  tongues.  Many- 
people  in  hell  will  say,  How  I  wish  I  had 
listened  to  the  words  of  my  teachers !  But  I 
would  not  mind ;  and  now  it  is  too  late.  I 
never  can  go  out  of  this  dreadful  place.  How 
foolish  I  have  been !  Once  Grod  would  have 
heard  my  prayers,  but  now  I  weep  and  wail 
in  vain. 

I  hope,  my  dear  children,  that  none  of  you 
will  ever  speak  such  sad  words. 

Remember,  Satan  goes  about  as  a  roaring 
lion,  seeking  to  devour  you,  by  tempting  you 
to  displease  Grod;  but  Christ  will  keep  you 
from  wickedness,  if  you  pray  to  him. 

One  day  Grod  will  burn  up  this  world  we 
live  in.  It  is  dreadful  to  see  a  house  on  fire. 
Did  you  ever  see  one?  But  how  dreadful  it 
will  be  to  see  this  great  world,  and  all  the 
houses  and  trees  burning !  The  noise  will  be 
terrible :  the  heat  will  be  very  great.  The 
wicked  will  not  be  able  to  escape  from  Grod. 
They  will  burn  for  ever  and  ever.  The  world 
will  not  burn  for  ever  ;  it  will  be  burnt  up  at 


'H!E  JUDGMENT-DAY.  201 

last,  and  God  will  make  another  much  better 
than  this. 

If  you  are  God's  child,  you  will  not  be 
frightened  when  the  world  is  burning ;  for  you 
will  be  safe  with  Jesus,  praising  him  for  hav- 
ing loved  and  saved  you. 

How  oft  behind  yon  hill 

The  sun  has  hid  his  face ; 

How  oft  returned  to  fill 

With  joyful  light  the  place  ! 
And  shall  the  sun  for  ever  thus  return  ? 
Shall  morn  succeed  to  eve,  and  eve  to  morn  ? 

0  no ;  the  day  shall  come — 

And  who  can  tell  how  soon  ? — 

When  dark  shall  be  that  sun, 

And  red  the  silver  moon ; 
When  sun  or  moon  shall  never  more  return, 
But  God  on  clouds  shall  come  the  world  to  burn 

0  say,  shall  I  be  there, 

To  see  the  fearful  glare, 

The  dreadful  sound  to  hear, 

The  burning  heat  to  bear, 
Of  falling  crags  and  rocks,  of  roaring  seas, 
Of  smoking  hills,  and  flaming  earth  and  skies  ? 

O  yes,  I  shall  be  there  : 

The  grave  shall  opened  be ; 

All  shall  the  trumpet  hear, 

The  Judge's  face  shall  see  ] 
In  vain  shall  some  upon  the  mountains  call. 
To  hide  their  heads  from  Mm  who  judges  all. 


202  THE  PEEP  OF  DAY. 

The  books  shall  then  be  read, 

In  which  our  God  has  wrote 

All  that  we  ever  said, 

Or  ever  did  or  thought ; 
And  many  cheeks  with  burning  shame  shall  glow, 
And  many  souls  be  plunged  in  deepest  woe. 

Ah,  how  shall  I  avoid 

Eternal  misery  ? 

My  sins,  a  heavy  load, 

Show  I  deserve  to  die  j 
And  yet.  to  think  upon  that  burning  lake 
Makes  my  flesh  tremble,  and  my  bones  to  shake. 

Lord,  by  the  blood  He  shed 

Who  hung  upon  the  tree, 

Before  the  books  are  read, 

May  my  sins  pardoned  be  : 
And  then  my  tears  shall  all  be  wiped  away, 
And  I  shall  dwell  in  everlasting  day. 


PUBLICATIONS 


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nal interests,  but  with  hope  of  the  richest  spiritual  blessings. 

Owen  on  Forgiveness,  or  Psalm  130. 

Gregory's  (Olinthus,  LL.D.)  Evi- 
dences of  Christianity. 

Riches  of  Bunyan. 

Paley's  Natural  Theology,  and  Horse 
Paulinas. 

Baxter's  Reformed  Pastor. 

Baxter's  Treatise  on  Conversion. 

Dr.  Spring's  Bible  Not  of  Man,  01 
the  Argument  for  the  Divine  Ori- 
gin of  the  Scriptures  drawn  from 
the  Scriptures  themselves. 

Nelson's  Cause  and  Cure  of  Infi- 
delity. 

Memoir  of  Summerfield. 

Memoir  of  Mrs.  Isabella  Graham 
A  new  and  standard  edition. 

Memoir  of  Mrs.  Sarah  L.  Huntington 
Smith. 

Sacred  Songs  for  Family  and  Social 
Worship.  Hymns  and  Tunes — 
with  a  separate  edition  in  patent 
notes.  Also,  the  Hymns  separately. 

Elegant  Narratives,  Select  Tracts, 
illustrated. 

Willison's  Afflicted  Man's  Com- 
panion. 

Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress  of  Re- 
ligion in  the  Soul. 

Edwards'  History  of  Redemption. 

Volume  on  Infidelity,  comprising 
five  standard  treatises :  Soarne 
Jenyns  on  the  Internal  Evidence  j 


D'Aubigne's  History  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. A  new  translation,  revised 
by  the  author,  in  four  volumes 
12mo,  with  portraits.  Price  $1  75, 
extra  cloth. 

Family  Testament  with  Notes. 

Baxter's  Saints'  Everlasting  Rest, 
12mo,  in  large  type ;  also  l8mo. 

Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  12mo, 
in  large  type,  and  18mo.  Both 
editions  neatly  illustrated. 

Memoir  of  Jas.  Milnor,  D.  D. 

Mason's  Spiritual  Treasury,  for  every 
day  in  the  year.  Terse,  pithy,  and 
evangelical. 

Flavel's  Fountain  of  Life,  or  Re- 
demption Provided. 

Flavel's  Method  of  Grace,  or  Re- 
demption applied  to  the  Souls  of 
Men. 

FlaveFs  Knocking  at  the  Door;  a 
tender,  practical  appeal. 

Bishop  Hall's  Scripture  History,  or 
Contemplations  on  the  Historical 
Passages  of  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments. 

Alleine's  Heaven  Opened. 

Bishop  Hopkins  on  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments. Three  standard  works 
of  the  times  of  Baxter. 

President  Edwards'  Thoughts  on  Re- 
vivals. 

Venn's  Complete  Duty  of  Man. 


Leslie's  Method  with  Deists ;  Lit- 
tleton's Conversion  of  Paul ;  "Wat- 
son's Reply  to  Gibbon  and  Paine. 

Pike's  Persuasives  to  Early  Piety 

Pike's  Guide  to  Young  Disciples. 

Anecdotes  for  the  Family  and  the 
Social  Circle. 

ELEGANT  PRACTICAL  WORKS. 


Universalism  Not  of  God. 

Dibble's  Thoughts  on  Missions. 

The  Bible  True. 

Songs  of  Zion. 

Considerations  for  Young  Men. 
,  Who  are  the  Happy  ? 
I  Letters  on  Universalism. 


Wilberforce's  Practical  View. 
Hannah  M ore's  Practical  Piety 
James'  Anxious  Inquirer. 
Elijah  the  Tishbite. 
Nevins'  Practical  Thoughts. 
Melvill's  Bible   Thoughts,   selected 
by  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Milnor. 


Harris'  Mammon. 
Gurney's  Love  to  God. 
Foster's  Appeal  to  the  Young. 
Abbott's  Young  Christian. 
Abbott's  Mother  at  Home. 
Abbott's  Child  at  Home. 
James'  Young  Man  from  Home. 


CHRISTIAN  MEMOIRS. 


Rev.  Claudius  Buchanan,  LL.D.,  in- 
cluding his  Christian  Researches 
in  Asia. 

Rev.  John  Newton. 

Rev.  Henry  Martyn. 

Rev.  David  Brainerd. 

Rev.  Edward  Payson,  D.  D. 

Harriet  L.  Winslow,  Missionary  in 
India. 

OTHER  SPIRITUAL  WORKS 


James  Brainerd  Taylor. 
Harlan  Page. 
Normand  Smith. 
Richard  Baxter. 
Archbishop  Leighton. 
Matthew  Henry. 
Rev.  Samuel  Pearce. 
Rev.  Samuel  Kilpin. 


Edwards  on  the  Affections. 
Baxter's  Call  to  the  Unconverted. 
Alleine's  Alarm  to  the  Unconverted. 
Flavel's  Touchstone. 
Flavel  on  Keeping  the  Heart. 
Helffenstein's  Self-Deception. 
Sherman's    Guide    to    an  Acquaint- 
ance with  God. 


Pike's  Religion  and  Eternal  Life. 
Baxter's  Dying  Thoughts. 
Matthew  Henry  on  Meekness. 
Andrew  Fuller's  Backslider. 
Scudder's   Redeemer's    Last    Com- 
mand. 
Scudder's  Appeal  to  Mothers. 
Burder's  Sermons  to  the  Aged. 


MISCELLANEOUS  WORKS. 


Bogue's  Evidences  of  Christianity. 
Keith's  Evidence  of  Prophecy. 
Morison's  Counsels  to  Young  Men. 
The  Reformation  in  Europe. 
Nevins'  Thoughts  on  Popery. 
Spirit  of  Popery,  [12  engravings.] 
The  Colporteur  and  Roman-catholic 


Mason  on  Self-Knowledge. 

Sherman's  Guide  to  an  Acquaint- 
ance with  God. . 

Divine  Law  of  Beneficence. 

Zaccheus,  or  Scriptural  Plan  of  Be- 
nevolence. 

Hymns  for  Social  Worship. 


POCKET  MANUALS. 


Clarke's  Scripture  Promises. 

The  Book  of  Psalms. 

The  Book  of  Proverbs. 

Daily  Scripture  Expositor. 

Ten  Commandments  Explained. 

Bean  and  Venn's  Advice  to  a  Married 

Couple. 
Hymns  for  Infant  Minds. 
Reasons  of  Repose. 
Daily  Food  for  Christians. 


Chaplet  of  Flowers. 
Heavenly  Manna. 
Cecil  and  Flavel's  Gift  for  Mourn- 
ers. 
Daily  Texts. 

Diary,  [Daily  Texts  interleaved.] 
Crumbs  from  the  Master's  Table. 
Milk  for  Babes. 

Provision  for  Passing  over  Jordan. 
Dew-Drops. 


3 

BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG. 

MANY  OF   THEM  BEAUTIFULLY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH  ENGRAVINGS. 


Gallaudet's  Scripture  Biography,  7 

volumes,  from  Adam  to  David. 
Gallaudet's  Youth's  Book  of  Natural 

Theology. 
Peep  of  Day. 
Line  upon  Line. 
Precept  upon  Precept. 
Hannah  More's  Repository  Tracts. 
Mary  Lundie  Duncan. 
Charlotte  Elizabeth. 
Martha  T.  Sharp. 
Fletcher's  Lectures. 
John  D.  Lockwood. 
Memoir  of  Caroline  E.  Smelt. 
Gallaudet's    Child's    Book    on    the 

Soul. 
Anzonetta  R.  Peters. 
The  Night  of  Toil. 
Advice  to  a  Young  Christian. 
Madam    Rumpff    and    Duchess    de 

Broglie. 
Scudder's  Tales  about  the  Heathen. 
Amelia,  the  Pastor's  Daughter. 


Trees,  Fruits,  and  Flowers  of  the 
Bible,  [9  cuts.] 

Jessie  Little. 

Isabel. 

Walker's  Faith  Explained. 

"Walker's  Repentance  Explained. 

Margaret  and  Henrietta. 

Bartimeus. 

Children  invited  to  Christ 

The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  etc. 

Peet's  Scripture  Lessons. 

Child's  Book  of  Bible  Stories.- 

Children  of  the  Bible. 

Amos  Armfield,  or  the  Leather-cov- 
ered Bible. 

The  Child's  Hymn-Book.  Selected 
by  Miss  Caulkins. 

Scripture  Animals,  [16  cuts.] 

Letters  to  Little  Children,  [13  cuts.1 

Great  Truths  in  Simple  Words. 

Pictorial  Tract  Primer. 

Watt's  Divine  and  Moral  Songs. 

With  numerous  similar  works. 


ALSO, 


Dr.  Edwards'  Sabbath  Manual,  Parts 
1,  2,  3,  and  4. 

Dr.  Edwards'  Temperance  Manual. 

In  German — 56  vols.,  various  sizes, 
including  Barth*s  Church  History, 
Life  of  M.  Boos,  Rules  of  Life, 
Lord's  Day,  Fabricius.  Honey- 
Drop,  Christ  Knocking  at  the 
Door,  and  two  volumes  and  pack- 
ets of  Books  for  Children,  recently 
published. 

In  French — Sixteen  volumes. 

In  Spanish — D'Aubigne's  History  of 
the  Reformation.  Vol.  L,  Bogue's 


Authenticity  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, Pilgrim's  Progress,  Illus- 
trated Tract  Primer,  Primitive  Ca- 
tholicism, Andrew  Dunn,  Sabbath 
Manual,  Part  1,  Krrwan's  Letters, 
Evangelical  Hymns,  Temperance 
Manual,  and  Manual  for  Children 

In  Welsh — Pilgrim's  Progress,  Bax- 
ter's Saints'  Rest  and  Call,  Anx- 
ious Inquirer,  History  of  Redemp- 
tion. 

In  Danish — Doddridge's  Rise  and 
Progress,  Baxters  Saints'  Rest 
and  Call. 


Also,  upwards  of  1,000  Tracts  and  Children's  Tracts,  separate,  bound, 
cr  in  packets,  adapted  for  convenient  sale  by  merchants  and  traders,  many 
of  them  with  beautiful  engravings — in  English,  German,  French,  Spanish, 
Portuguese,  Italian,  Dutch,  Danish,  Swedish,  and  Welsh. 


0=*  It  is  the  design  of  the  Society  to  issue  all  its  publications  in  good 
type,  for  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich ;  and  to  sell  them,  as  nearly  as  may 
be,  at  cost,  that  the  Society  may  neither  sustain  loss  nor  make  a  profit  by 
soi  its  sales. 


i 


